Picking Up The Pieces
by joegood2003
Summary: Post X2. After the tragedy of Alkali lake how do you go on? Logan has to decide if he can be part of their future, and if he can let go of his past. Rated for violent content, and for treatment of sexual abuse. Chapter 34 up. Chapters 1 & 2 revised.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I have been wanting to edit this story for a long time. There are a lot of things that needed correction, and I finally decided to just get on with it. The plot, such as it is, will not change, but I'm going to be revising quite a bit, especially the earlier chapters. Sorry it took me so long to update this story. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men. Sometimes I think they own me.

_Italic flashback_

**Bold telepathic speaking**

Chapter One

Logan sat on one of the stone benches at the edge of Ororo's wildflower garden. A thick white mist clung to the earth, blurring the shapes of the plants and diffusing the intense light that streamed out of the powerful flood lamps that now illuminated the grounds of Xavier's school. The garden was one of his favorite places at the mansion. It was far enough from the house that all that noise the kids put out didn't bother him so much. Ororo had worked hard to cultivate a mix of flowers and other plants that gave off a sweet, soothing aroma. Sure it wasn't a wild place, but there was the ghost of nature here, which was something he really needed to feel right now.

He took a deep and let the fresh, sweet scent calm the animal inside. Since the X-Men had returned from Washington five days ago, Logan had felt increasingly at war with himself. He had found something at Xavier's, something he hadn't run across in all his years of wandering. A place where he actually wanted to stay. This school, these kids, had become important to him in a way that he had never known in the sixteen years that he could remember. Until now, the only priority he'd had was himself. He'd lived his life by a few simple rules. Keep moving and keep everyone away. Over the years it had worked pretty well for him, right up to that moment when he'd let a seventeen year old runaway into the cab of his truck. He still couldn't quite figure out why he had done that. In fact, the only thing he was really sure of was that after Marie, his life would never be that same again.

If meeting the kid was what knocked him off that well traveled road, Jean Gray was the rock he smashed into after he flew off the shoulder. When it came to women, he was used to being the one in control, but that's not how things worked out with Jean. Sure she cared for him, and she definitely wanted him (the nose never lies), but she wasn't going to give in. And then she almost did. He had been so damned close to getting something he'd never dreamed of having, someone he knew deep down he didn't deserve. And then, the next day she was dead. Even as he thought of her the animal within reared up and he ground his teeth as he fought the urge to run howling into the night. Running, that's how he dealt with pain in the past...just get the hell away from whatever caused it. For every minute of the last five days, he'd had push that part of him down. It was stupid really. It wasn't a promise. Neither he nor Jean had really taken what he'd said seriously. If she hadn't died, it never would have mattered. I could be the good guy. What a fucking joke. Now he was stuck here in house full of grieving people, fighting that primal urge to bolt so he could show a dead woman that she'd been wrong, that he could and would stick around. Only thing was, he was losing this scrap. The animal inside was screaming to run away and lick it's wounds, get out of this place, get away from these people before there was more pain.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Logan rose and started back toward the Mansion. He hadn't slept for more than eight hours in the past five days. Which was too little rest even for him. Part of that was there was just too much to do. First there had been the need to calm the fears of kids who had seen the only safe haven most of them had ever know invaded by men who saw them as genetic monsters. Comforting a bunch of terrified kids was not high on his skills list. Xavier and Ororo did what they could, with a lot of help from the junior X-men. Logan smiled to himself as he thought of Marie. She had been up for days herself, along with Peter, Bobby, Kitty, and that friend of Marie's, Jubilee. What the hell Lee's parents were thinking, he had no idea.

They had all earned his respect in the last few days. Peter had worked tirelessly by his side to repair the damaged school. Kitty and Bobby had pitched in to help get classes started. Marie and Jubilee had volunteered as teacher's aides for Chuck and Ro, so they could cope with the heavier workload. Logan had looked into the eyes of the students that gathered the morning after the return from Washington and told them that vacation was over, and school was starting again. Since then the senior students had pulled double duty, stepping in to help some of the younger kids when they weren't in class themselves. Xavier and Ororo ended up taking Jean's students as well as their own, but the ones Summers had taught were canceled. No one had seen him outside his room since they'd come back from D.C.

Logan began his nightly circuit around the Mansion. In the past few days he had made it a habit to do a 'walk about' each night before turning in. Even though security had been beefed up by some high tech additions courtesy of a mutant named Forge, Logan need to be sure. The only way he knew was to check things himself. Even as he prowled the grounds of the school, his mind wandered back to a conversation he had with yesterday with Marie.

_She had walked up to him just as he and Pete had finished installing one of the last windows to replace those that had been shattered during Stryker's invasion. She'd been watching him closely the last few days_, _and he could guess why. The kid knew he'd had feelings for Jean. After all she had absorbed him twice, nearly killing him the second time, as his healing power brought her back from the dead. While he was still trying to get straight in his head what kind of relationship they had, he pretty sure it was impossible to bullshit a girl who_ _had a phantom version of him living inside her head. Marie understood that Logan's solution to any painful situation was to run, and he thought that him still being around was freaking her out. _

_He clapped her in the shoulder in greeting. "Hey kid...come to help? I think I might be wearing Petey out." She smiled at him, grateful for the small touches he gave out when ever she was near. That he showed absolutely __no_ _fear of her deadly skin after what had happened between them was beyond belief. _

_"No thanks sugar," she drawled, "if ya'll give me one of them tools someone is gonna get hurt." She was smiling at him, but he could smell the anxiety on her and see it in her eyes. _

"_Take a break Pete," he said, waving the big Russian toward the kitchen. "You could use a drink."_

"_Come on kid...lets take a walk." _

_He lead her out the patio door, to a path that took them into the wooded area that spread out south of the school. They walked in silence until they reached a pair of stone benches that were hidden from the mansion by the trees. He sprawled out on the nearest one and pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket. After he got it going, he patted the space beside him, inviting Marie to sit. She stared at that space for a long time, then abruptly sat on the other bench, another sign that she was upset. _

"_Come on Marie...spill it. What's botherin ya?" She had ducked her head, but at his question Rogue fixed him with a stare._

"_When are ya leavin?" She snorted at his raised eyebrow. "Don't give me that crap Logan, Ah got ya up here, remember." she said, tapping her head. "Logan...you've done a lot for me...God knows why you put your life on the line for me more then once. But we need you to stick around for awhile_..."

"_We?" He muttered, blowing out a gust of smoke._

"_Jerk," she shot back, shaking her head. "Alright, Ah need you to stick around. Ya know there aren't many places in the world for people like us, and right now this place is on the edge. Ah don't know if they'll be able to hold it together if you aren't around. Ah know that Ah can't." Her voice had gotten softer as she spoke, unable to hide her fear._

_Logan looked away, running his fingers through his hair. In the short time he'd known the kid, he'd gotten a handle on some of her moods. Right now this one had to do with Marie's abandonment issues. Not too surprising, considering her 'loving' parents had turned on her as soon as they found out she was a mutant. God, he wanted to laugh right now, except he was pretty damned sure she wouldn't appreciate the joke _ _She was asking him for a commitment, throwing the same challenge at him Jean had. Asking him to do the one thing he really feared, staying in one place too long. His whole life had centered around that instinct to keep moving. If you stayed too long people got to know you, find out what you were. He was pretty sure that wouldn't be a good thing for him. His wanderlust had kept him relatively safe, but totally isolated as well. This time there was more at stake then what happened to him. At least for a while, the kids needed him here. Marie needed him. Only thing was, he wasn't exactly safe to be around. _

"_What makes you think that me stayin is a good idea Marie?" he growled, remembering Stryker's words "Your were always an animal, we just gave you the claws_."_ For the past few days he had turned that over and over in his mind. What if Stryker was right, could he live with these kids, live with anyone if he was the monster that Stryker said he was?_

"_Because Ah know you Logan...Ah know you don't think that you're a good guy, so you tell me what kind of man does the things you did for me?" Her brown eyes looked straight into his, willing him to see himself as she did. "Ah'm not just saying this for me Logan. Ah know that ya'll lived pretty much on your own, but Ah don't remember that you were ever happy. You could be happy here Logan, and Ah think you should give yourself that chance."_

_Logan stood up and began to pace back and forth in front of Marie. This was why he liked his relationships impersonal. But she was Marie, and rather than just growl and walk away he gave here the best answer he could. _

"_Darlin, I'm thinkin that happy ain't in the cards for me_. _I just don't know how long I can stay at Xavier's mutant paradise. One thing I can promise ya, I won't leave until I know your safe." Stopping in front of her, Logan reached out, grasping her gloved hands and pulling her gently to her feet, his muscular right arm encircling her shoulder._

"_Thanks Logan, you don't know how much this means to me," she said in a watery voice. "Right now this place needs you a lot."_

_Logan looked down at her with a small smile and a wink, and thought that he had at least done one thing right in this world. "Come on kid, lets get back. It's almost time to eat." Side by side they walked back to the mansion in comfortable companionship._

Logan hoped like hell that he could keep that promise. For now he had to take things one day at a time. The repairs to the school were almost done and Xavier had promised two new staff members in the next few days. Once they arrived, he wouldn't be needed for much around here. No, he shook his head. That wasn't really true. There was something he could teach the kids, something he didn't think they'd be able to learn from Chuck, Summers, or Ro. How to keep themselves alive when someone like Stryker came for them again. Part of that was learning how to fight instead of how to defend themselves. Not that Ro and Cyke couldn't scrap. He'd seen then in action enough to know that. But people like Stryker (or Lenscherr) didn't play by the same rules, and those kids would have to learn that if they wanted to live long enough to grow up. When it came to a fight for your life, there was only one thing that mattered. You had to win. Tomorrow he would talk to Chuck. He didn't think the old man would like it, but whatever else Xavier was, he wanted to make sure his kids where safe.

As he finish his perimeter walk he heard the sound of the kitchen French doors being opened. Silent as a cat Logan stalked around the corner of the mansion and picked out a figure silently closing those doors. He knew who it was before he even caught the scent. He had hoped that she would talk to someone, so he'd given her space. Apparently she had decided to run instead. God damn it, he have no idea what to say to her. She had a duffle slung over her shoulder and a small suitcase in her hand. The kid had no clue that he was five feet away, close enough to smell her tears. Stepping out of the shadows, he called out in a low soft voice.

"A little late for a walk, ain't it kid."

Letting out a squeak she spun around to face him, and he found himself looking at the tearful face of Jubilation Lee.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter is a revision of my original work. While the general plot is unchanged, most of the text is new. Let me know what you think.

Warning: This chapter deals with an incident of sexual abuse.

As if telepathically linked, the same though popped into both their minds, "Shit, what am I gonna do now!"

Taking in her nervous state, he held his hands up palms forward and spoke in what he hoped was a comforting voice. "Relax kid, I'm not gonna tear inta ya, I just wanna know what your doing out here at one in the mornin?" He waited patiently while she swiped the tears from her face and tried to compose herself.

Logan really didn't have a clue about how to deal with a crying, teenaged girl. He didn't know much about the kid, other then she was Marie's best friend. He had pegged her as a smart mouthed girl who talked too much, and had avoided being in the same room with her whenever possible. That didn't mean that he couldn't understand the idea of wanting to just take off. Hell, that was pretty much his life story. He even had a good guess at the why, just not how he could get her to tell him. Right now, he'd settle for keeping her from leaving.

Jubilee didn't know much about Logan, other then what Rogue had told her. She wasn't even really sure what his gift was. The southern girl had mentioned something about big ass scary claws, but that had been after they'd had a few beers that Jubilee had lifted from Mr. Summers' badly hidden stash. One thing she was did know for sure, this was one real scary dude that she had zero chance of getting away from. If he wanted to keep her here, she was totally screwed. She didn't see how she could bullshit him, after all she was packed to go. She also knew that she didn't have the courage to tell him why.

"I can't stay anymore Mr. Logan...after what happened when we were attacked...I don't feel safe here any more."

Logan smiled to himself. She was pretty damned good. What she was saying was the truth. He couldn't smell a lie on her. But he knew it wasn't the whole truth. He had to get her to talk to him and right now he had no idea how. Usually, he wasn't much for talking to anyone, man or woman. He exercised other skills instead. Not the kind that did him much good right now. Might as well try bluffing then.

"No dice kid. Rogue told me about you, said you were her best friend here." At his mention of Marie the tears started up again, so Logan went with it. "The person she told me about didn't sound like she would take off when her friends needed her. So why don't you tell me what this is all about Lee."

That got to her. Her head snapped up and he could see right away that she was pissed. "I really don't give a crap what you think Mr. Logan. I left Rogue a letter, so she knows I'm still her friend. I don't owe you anything at all."

"Kid, if you think I'm gonna let you just walk without telling me what this is all about yer nuts," snarled Logan. He didn't think she would actually talk to him, since she didn't know him from Adam, but he'd at least tried to do things nice. Time to cut to the chase.

"I know what those fuckers did to ya. What I don't understand is why you seem to think it was yer fault." He spoke as gently as he could and then waited for her reaction.

Jubilee looked up at Logan with an expression of pure horror on her face. God he knew...how could he know...she hadn't said a thing to any one. Her mind raced, then settled on the only explanation that made any sense.

"You shithead!" she hissed, stepping toward him. "Who said you could read my mind." In a blind fury she threw herself at him, her small fists striking his chest with surprising force.

Grabbing her shoulders, Logan shook her once and let go. "Christ Lee, I ain't no freaking telepath. Calm down a minute," he snapped grabbing her wrists when she went to punch him again. "Listen to me kid...I didn't read your mind." She stopped trying to hit him and he released her, taking a step back.

"Then how did you know?" She demanded, hands going to her hips.

"How much do ya know about my mutation?"

"Roguey told me ya got freaky metal claws that come out of your hands...say what kind of mutation is that?"

"Never mind about that. Just keep goin kid."

"She said that you can heal from anything and that your senses are...fuck, you must have smelled them," she said in a small voice, shrinking away from him.

"Relax kid," he answered quietly. "Yeah I smelled it, when we were flyin back from Alkali Lake. I wasn't sure what exactly happened, but I knew it couldn't be good."

"I don't get it...if you knew then why didn't any one try to talk to me about it?" She seemed even more confused now.

"Cause I didn't tell em kid. I wouldn't want anyone to stick their nose in if it was something that happened to me, so I wasn't gonna rat you out."

She nodded, then looked away, and he could see that the girl was having a hard time keeping it together. He really wasn't sure how he should do this. Talking about this kind of stuff to anyone, let alone teenager, wasn't something he really wanted to do. But now that it was out there, he wasn't going to dance around it.

"I know what happened kid. What I don't understand is why you're afraid to talk to someone? Those fuckers raped you...you ain't the one to blame."

She looked up at him tears welling in her eyes and when she spoke it was in a voice so soft even he had to strain to hear it. "They didn't force me...I...I...agreed...I did it willingly."

"Tell me," he whispered forcing himself to remain calm.

Jubilee shuddered, and gave a big heaving sob, turning away so she couldn't see his face. "The only thing I remember from the attack on the school is some asshole shooting me with a dart. When I woke up, I was in a truck with some of the other kids they had grabbed. Siren and Dani were still unconscious and Jenny was lying next to me crying."

She stopped talking long enough to fish some tissue out of her pack. After wiping her eyes, she started again in a flat, emotionless voice.

"When the trucks finally stopped, some soldiers came to the back and yelled for us to get out. I had to drag Jenny, since she could barely stand. Some of the thugs carried out Terri and Dani cause they were still out of it. We were in some kind of big freaking garage. God I was cold." Jubilee paused to rub her hands over her arms, and after taking a few deep breaths, she went on.

"They made us stand together in a group while some assholes in white coats wrote some shit down. One of them even pulled out a camera and took pictures. I was so fucking scared Logan. Then the white coats took off and everything really went to hell. Some guys dressed in camo with huge guns started to push us toward a door. Two of them peeled off and went to Dani and Siri. I thought they were going to pick them up, but one of them started in on Terri, grabbing at her…chest. When the other goon stuck his hand down Dani's shorts, I had to do something."

"Yeah kid," he agreed, not liking where this was going.

"I really wanted to blast them, but they had guns and I was freaking terrified of what would happen to the others if they started shooting. So I started yelling at them to leave the girls alone. I really didn't have a plan ya know, I just wanted them to stop."

There was another pause, and then she turned to stare at him. Logan let her look for a few seconds, then slowly nodded for her to go on. She didn't turn away.

"So when they left my girls and started coming at me, I had a pretty good idea what was going to happen. At least I thought I did. They hit me a few times and knocked me down, and for a second, I thought I had a chance. Both the goons were standing together, so I could get them with one blast."

"Blast?" Logan interrupted, a little confused.

"Duh! Sorry, I forgot ya don't know. I can fire plasma bursts. They explode like bombs."

"Sounds useful," he answered, and it did. Which made him wonder why the kid hadn't wasted these fuckers.

"Yeah," she whispered, then went on after a shake of her head. "Before I could do anything I heard another one behind me. One of the other soldiers had come back, so there was no way I could get them all. Besides, if anything happened to me who was gonna protect my girls? Then one of them whispered something to his buddy and they both started laughing."

The kid stopped again, and it took a little while to clear her throat. He could feel his knuckles starting to itch. God he needed a drink.

"So one of them tells me that they're going to have a little fun. He said none of them had ever fucked a mutant before and they wanted to see what it…what it was like. So I told them if they left the other girls alone I would do whatever they wanted."

It wasn't really a surprise, and that was just about the sickest thing about this. He knew enough from talking to Ro that sexual abuse was something a lot of these kids had experienced. That didn't mean he wasn't pissed off enough that he wished the motherfuckers hadn't died at Alkali Lake. He would have hunted the three of them down and castrated them with a smile. Right now, he just wanted to put the claws out and tear into something, but he didn't think the kid would appreciate seeing that. So he took a few deep breaths and got himself under control. When he looked around for Jubilee, she sat on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest, half leaning against a wall. Logan crouched down and spoke to her in low, quiet voice.

"I'm pretty damned sure this is the last thing yer gonna want ta hear, you really do need to have a doctor checkup on ya."

Jubilee looked up at him and shook her head. "No Logan. They didn't...they didn't have time to fuck me because they had to report back to Stryker. So they told me to...use my mouth...and I did."

Logan ran his hands through his hair as he fought to control his rage. What the fuck was he suppose to say? Time to have that drink. He stood and pulled a flask out of his jacket. It was full of genuine Kentucky moonshine, guaranteed 180 proof. After unscrewing the cap, he gulped down half the contents in one go. God that felt good, riding that buzz he could only get for a few seconds, even with shit like this. He glanced at the kid and she was staring at him. Actually at the flask. What the hell he figured, a little bit of this stuff wouldn't kill her. He held it out and she nodded, reaching up to snatch the flask from his hand. Before he could think to warn her, she took a big gulp and the spit most of it out. What a waste.

"Damn it Logan, are trying to poison me? What is this shit?"

"Sorry kid. I was gonna warn ya, but you were too fast for me."

"Dude, how can you drink that stuff?"

"Gotta healing factor. You know what that is right?" She nodded, wiping her mouth. "Don't even feel most stuff I drink. Crap like this is the only way I can get a buzz."

"Sucks to be you," she shot back, with a slight slur creeping into he voice. He took another swig and screwed the cap back on.

"It took guts ta do what you did kid. You gave up a hell of a lot to keep your friends safe, and you got nuthin ta be ashamed off. So why the hell do ya want to slip out of here?"

Jubilee looked down, suddenly interested in the toes of her shoes. When she thought she could speak with a steady voice, she told him. Until she'd turned thirteen, her life had been pretty much the American dream. Her parents were immigrants who worked hard so she could have things they had only dreamed of when they were kids. The best clothes, a private school, gymnastic training that put her in a class with the best in the world. Then, in the space of a few weeks, it was all gone. Some mobsters gunned her parents down on the street, thinking they were someone else, and the government seized their assets and dumped her in a foster home. Turned out the 'father' had a thing for little girls, so she took off, and tried to make it on her own. At that point she choked up and her gave her a sip out of his flask. After a minute, she went on.

"After going hungry and cold for a few months, I met a man who told me he wanted to help me. He gave me a roof over my head and food to eat, and sold me for two hundred dollars a trick. My powers manifested one night when a john beat me up and I blasted him through a wall. My 'protector' wanted nothing to do with a mutie freak and so I was on the street again when the Professor and Ms. Munroe found me. I let them take me back to the mansion, but after two months I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. One thing life on my own had taught me was that nothing is free, there's always a price to pay."

"Every day I talked with the Professor and Miss Munroe in his office. After a while I started to relax, tell myself that this was real, not some kind of trick to break my defenses down. I told them some of what had happened to me, I began to trust them. Then one day I walked into the office and as I closed the door I realized that the Professor was the only one waiting for me. It felt like someone had kicked me in the gut, because I was sure he was gonna ask me to pay him back. Then he just looked at me and smiled and I heard him in my head.

"Not everyone demands payment for helping others, and certainly not _that _kind of payment."

"Then he took my hand and he promised me that I would never have to make that kind of bargain as long as I lived under his roof."

Logan nodded, thinking that this sounded way too familiar. When bad things happened to you, the easiest thing to do was to blame yourself. Cause if you really were a good person, the bad shit wouldn't find you.

"Is that what this is all about?" He asked, pointing at Jubilee's suit case. "It was Chuck's promise, not your kid. No one put a gun to his head and made him say it."

"No shit dude! I'm not stupid. I…I don't think I could tell him. I sure don't want to."

"Look darlin," he said, and her eyes widened at his choice of words. "Ya did this to protect the others, to protect your family. I'm sure its hard to get your head around it, but ya ain't got nothing to be ashamed of. Chuck will feel real bad that ya had to do it, and he should. But sure as hell he'll be proud that ya had the guts to do it."

He reached down and offered his hand to her. She grabbed it and pulled herself to her feet. She wouldn't look him in the eye. Instead the kid just stood there, staring at her suitcase. When she finally spoke, he could hear the anger in her voice.

"It's not just about the Professor. I thought I was safe here. Protected. I don't want to leave my friends, but I don't want to feel like a target the next time some anti-mutant assholes decide to attack us."

And that's the problem he thought. As long as there were mutant haters like Stryker, there was no place where she could be safe. Xavier had tried to shield them all from the outside world, creating a place were they could go to school and live normal lives. In Logan's mind, that had been his big mistake. Maybe some day Chuck's dream would come true. Until then they had to live in the real world. There was no excuse for a seventeen year old girl with Jubilee's power not being able to defend herself. That was going to change. He couldn't stop the world from hating them, but that didn't mean they had to be victims.

"Gonna do something about that. I know you got lessons on how to defend yourself. That ain't worth a damn when some fucker comes through your front door lookin to kill ya. I can show how ta fight and win. I already told Marie that I'd teach her and yer welcome to join in the fun. Next time some assholes come here lookin for trouble, they'll be the target."

There was something in the way he had said it. Or maybe it was that crazed look that flash across his face, just for a moment. Rogue had told her about the brief moments when she'd seen him fighting against Stryker's troops. How he had jumped three soldiers and killed them in the blink of an eye with those claws. Jubilee already trusted Logan enough to tell him stuff that it had taken her a while to talk to the Professor about. How that had happened, she didn't know. Rogue trusted him, and he had put his life on the line for her friend. For now that would have to be enough.

"Look kid, give it some time. How about a month. If ya still don't feel like stayin, I'll drive ya any where ya want ta go."

"I don't get you Mr. Logan. You don't even know me. Why do you care?"

"Lee, drop the mister would ya. Truth is, I'm not real sure. For one thing, ya got guts. I like that in a kid. But I gotta tell ya, it's mostly cause if Rogue found out that I let her best friend walk away, she'd kick my ass."

The kid didn't laugh, but at least she smiled. What the hell, it was a start.


	3. Chapter3

Chapter 3

There was blackness, surrounding him, engulfing him, like some thick sticky goo weighting him down. He struggled to escape the suffocating grip. Slowly the blackness fell away and consciousness returned. His arms and legs were bound to a wall with steel bands. He opened his eyes squinting against the harsh glare from a single light bulb overhead. His muscles were still twitching has he tried to remember what had been done to him. Oh yeah. They had clamped wires to each of the bands that held his limbs and then they threw a switch sending who knows how much fucking electricity through his body. Now that his bones were coated with metal he was a living circuit, his body jerking and dancing until the pain had overloaded his nervous system and he passed out.

A door opened to his left two men coming into the room. Stryker and some meatball in a lab coat. The meatball spoke, "I cannot see how it is possible William...he flatlined for over a minute and ten minutes later and he is apparently completely recovered!" Stryker smiled up Logan, an evil grin that made Logan sick. A grin that promised pain. "That's our Wolverine, nothing we do keeps him down for long...no matter how hard we try. Why don't we double the current...see if it takes him twice as long to recover?" Logan growled, his eyes boring into Strykers. He felt sick, fear welling up in the pit of his belly. No matter what happened he was determined show only the face of the beast. It was a role they were all used to. Wolverine strained at the steel bands roaring at the top of his lungs, but inside Logan screamed as Stryker threw the switch...

Logan fell out of bed, muscles twitching has if the torture of his dream had occurred as he slept. That was a new one he thought pushing himself up on shaky legs and staggered into the bathroom. Splashing cold water on his face he struggled to master the sickly feeling of fear. Since the return from Alkali Lake new nightmares had begun to surface. The first few nights had been feelings of blackness, of suffocating darkness, of floating in nothingness. In a way this new one was better. Pain and humiliation he was used to. "Well you wanted your past back..." he thought to himself. Looking at the alarm he cursed. It was a little after six in the morning, less than four hours sleep. Throwing on sweats and a tee shirt Logan padded barefoot through the darkened halls of the mansion. Approaching the kitchen he paused and sniffed the air. Ororo...not his first choice for a conversation at the moment. Shrugging he walked through the doorway.

Ororo sat at the table, cradling the mug of cooling tea in her hands. The events of the last few days had drained her to the point of numbness. Her best friend lie dead at the bottom of Alkali Lake and the only home she had know for ten years seemed to be falling apart. So when Logan suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway, though surprised she gave little reaction. Nodding to her he walked past to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. Storm had continued to stare straight ahead seemingly unaware of his presence. Fatigue and worry were etched on her face. The thought occurred to him that she was here alone for a reason, that he should respect her privacy. Before he could decide what to do the choice was taken out of his hands.

"Good morning Logan." Her tone was flat, but the look she gave him made him think that she was glad to see him. He walk over to the table and sat across from her.

"Ro you look like ya could use some sleep."

"I could say the same of you my friend. I wish to thank you Logan for all you have done these past few days. I know we have not always seen things eye to eye, but you have been a great comfort to the children. They feel safe with you here."

Logan snorted it that. Sure most of the younger kids seemed to feel better with him around. Or at least they didn't seem terrified of his presence. Then again they hadn't seen hin in action that night. Bobby on the other hand had seen the Wolverine up close and personal, and five days later couldn't look him in the eye. Logan smelled fear every time Drake was near.

" I mean it Logan." Storm could tell that Logan was sceptical of her claim. To her it was obvious but she also understood that it was difficult for him to accept the fact that to others he could be anything but a danger, a threat.

"Look darlin, I know ya mean well, but we both know that I don't fit in here. After what happened to em the kids are just lookin for someone to tell em what to do. Believe me if they had seen what had happened that night they would run screaming every time I walked into a room." That said he looked into her eyes and said, "So would you."

He began to rise from the chair, but Ororo quickly reach across the table and caught his arm. Surprised by the sudden contact Logan flinched. Touch, especially unasked for or by surprise was something he never liked. Startled by the reaction she let go. " I'm sorry you think that Logan but you are wrong. I know that you would never hurt any of us. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because you didn't see what I did to those soldiers. Drake won't look me in the eye because he did see it. Saw me ram my claws right into a mans chest right in this room . Ya know what Ro, I wasn't sorry I did it. I'm a killer Ro, I was made to be a killer and I'll always be one. Why the hell do you think it's safe to have someone like me at this school.?" Speaking his voice rose in anger but when she looked at his face Storm saw the anger was mixed with despair.

"You did what you had to protect the students. God Logan those men...they would have...to them we were nothing but animals, even the children. I have been thinking a lot about what happened. I still believe that in the long term we must find a way the co-exist peacefully with non-mutants, but we can no longer hesitate to use whatever means necessary to protect the innocent. You say you are a killer. Yet you do not seem to me to be the kind of person that takes joy in the suffering and deaths of others. That's what those men who invaded were. You are not like them Logan."

She was saying what she believed, Logan could tell. The problem was she didn't really know him. None of them did. How the hell could they spend a couple of weeks with someone and think they knew enough to trust them? Still he wished he could just ignore the facts as he saw them and buy into their belief. "The problem with that is you really have no idea what I am. The people who gave me the claws must have had a pretty good idea that I'd enjoy using them. You have no clue what kind of life I lived, of the things I've done before I came here. I don't enjoy killin, but I don't let havin to do it bother me none. Don't get me wrong darlin. I'm glad you want to have me around. It's just that if you want to keep these kids and this place safe you should think twice before ya let something like me any where near em." Logan stood up and pulled a cigar and lighter from his pocket. He looked at her and winked. "I know, no smokin in the house, see ya later Storm."

Ororo watched him walk out the kitchen door, struck by the natural grace of his every movement. It's too bad she thought that trusting other does not come easily to him. Logans tremendous physical gifts should have been a source of pride. Instead he believed they were a curse having been used to turn him into a weapon, a thing. Her thoughts were interrupted by the Professors voice calling inside her head. **"Ororo, would you please come to my office." **She stood and stretched reaching for the mug of tea. Shaking her head Storm sent to the Professor, **"Charles you promised that you would get a full night sleep." "I am sorry Ororo," **came his reply; "**but this cannot wait."**

Walking down the hallway to the professors office she was struck once more with how quickly they had erased all the physical evidence of the invasion. Everyone had felt that repairing the damage as soon as possible was in the students best interests. She wondered now if that was true. It was not as simple as replacing the blood stained carpet with a new one. The real problem was repairing the damage they had all suffered on the inside, of fixing the hole Stryker had made in all their lives. There was after all no going back to that place, the lives they lived before Stryker had come for them. It was all gone forever. Just like Jean. The real question was where did they go from here. For the first time since she had come to the school uncertainty gnawed at her. Reaching his office she stepped in.

Professor Xavier was not behind his desk as she had expected, but instead had pulled his wheelchair up to the couch. He was dressed in pajamas and a blue silk robe. His face looked tired, eyes sad as his gaze moved from the two young women seated on the couch in front of him to greet her. Sitting on the couch were Rogue and Jubilee both red eyed from crying. They were dressed for bed, Jubilee in yellow silk pajamas and Rogue in sweat pants and a Detroit Redwings jersey ( long sleeved of course) with the ever present gloves.

Ororo pulled up a chair and sat down while the girls proceeded to tell her what had them crying in the Professors office at so early an hour. Rogue did most of the talking, to spare Jubilee the pain and embarrassment of repeating her story. As the southern girl spoke Ororo felt guilt and anger wash over her. Jubilee had lived with this for nearly a week, with no one to talk to and reassure her. Knowing her background made this even more painful. Jubilee had made great strides in the past two years. Storm and the Professor had made her their special project, seeking to rebuild confidence and reinforce her self-esteem. Part of the cause of her brash and at times obnoxious behavior were the nagging doubts she still suffered from. Having been treated so badly for so long the girl struggled with the belief that it was something she had deserved, that being used was all she was good for. Jubilee was also terrified that if the other students knew what had happened before she came to the school they would believe the same thing. Storm reached out to gather both the girls into a hug as Rogue finished her account of what had happened at Strykers base.

Ororo sat back on the chair and looked the Asian girl in the eye. "Thank you for trusting us enough to tell the Professor and I what happened to you. Being abused as you were must have been very painful for you, I just wish you had come to us sooner. What you did was very brave Jubilee, what happened to you was not your fault."

"Ya I know" she said in a quiet voice, "Wolvie told me the same thing." Xavier and Storm looked at each other, astonished that she had discussed this with Logan. Jubilee looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know it was stupid but I felt so bad about what happened, about you finding out that I decided to run away. Wolvie caught me before I even got out the door. Ya know...I don't really like talkin to people about my stuff, but there's something about him that made me think he would understand. He told me I needed to talk to you guys about this. After I went through it with him it didn't seem so hard. It's not that I don't trust you guys, it's just seemed that after all the time we spent talking about my issues that I was afraid you would think that I failed, that I had gone right back to how I was before."

Xavier reached out to take Jubilees hands. "My dear...Logan was right you know. I am very proud of your courage in protecting Siren and Dani. I only wish that there was some way we could have protected you. Despite the fact that these...that they did not physically force themselves on you what you experienced was rape and you are not to blame. I am very glad that you did not leave us Jubilee and I want you to know that you have nothing to be ashamed of.." He reach out to gather her in his arms and Jubilee fell into his embrace without hesitation.

Later, after seeing the girls to their room Ororo returned to Xaviers office. She was surprised to find him pouring what looked like brandy into a glass. Looking up as she approached his desk he gave her a sad half smile. " Do not worry my dear. I am not going to drink myself into oblivion, no matter how attractive that option might seem. " Then his face darkened and she saw the pain in his eyes. "I cannot believe how stupid I have been. That we never paused to consider what might have happened to our students while they were at the mercy of those animals. We must make arrangements to interview all of those who were held captive by Stryker."

Seeing this as an opportunity Ororo decided to ask a question that had been nagging her for days. "Charles do you know what happened to Logan at Alkali Lake? I have tried to talk about it several times but he will say nothing."

Xavier shook his head, "Logan has told me nothing of what happened when he was separated from the rest of us. I can only surmise from the condition of his uniform that he was involved in some kind of fight. Of course the physical damage to his body had healed by the time he found us again. However it is apparent that he still suffers from damage to his psyche from what ever he encountered. When I asked him if he knew what had become of Stryker all he would say was the man was no longer capable of harming us. Of course Logans actual words were a bit more colorful then I have related to you."

"I do not understand the man Professor. Logan refuses to accept that he has a place here. He talks as if he believes that he is a greater danger to us then the men invaded our home. I do not know how long he will be able to stay."

"You must understand Ororo what a shock this past week has been for him. Logan has lived his whole life for as long as he has remembered it without forming close attachments to anyone. He has been constantly on the move wandering from place to place. Now the reason Logan would give for this is the need to find out about his past. However until he came to us and I was able to glean some information from my contacts he had made virtually no progress in over fifteen years. From what I can tell his wanderings have been more about staying away from people, has if at least subconsciously Logan feared that those responsible for what had been done to him might at any time attempt to seize and use him again. And so he finally finds some people he can begin to trust, and even in Jean and Rogue people he can allow himself to have deeper feelings for, emotions that he never thought himself capable. At this very moment Logans greatest fear becomes reality. The man who took away his life comes back for him and his new friends. You could see that at least in the back of his mind Logan would blame himself. This even though according to Rogue Stryker was as surprised to find Logan here as Logan was to meet the man responsible for all his pain."

Storm was horrified at this revelation. "You mean that this Stryker was the person who was...who altered Logan.?"

"Yes I am certain of it. Moreover I am almost certain that the Alkali base was the place that Logan was held when the procedures took place. So you see he has had quite a few shocks in the past week. Ororo I am afraid that unless we can give him some reason, some purpose he will not be able to stay with us much longer. However I think I may have stumbled on just the thing. Before you came to my office both Rogue and Jubilee confided in me that they would no longer participate in the basic self-defense course. Logan had promised them that he would give them instruction on how to defend themselves and they both felt strongly that his methods would be far more effective."

"Charles I can not believe that you would agree to this. Logan would almost certainly teach them to resort to deadly force at the earliest opportunity in any fight. While I have no doubt that he is a better hand to hand fighter then any of us...well how can we approve of teaching children to kill?"

Xavier shook his head, his eyes sad but his face set. "They are not children Ororo, at least the senior students are not. We have been treating them as such and that was a mistake. If they had known how to fight effectively men who invaded this school could have easily been defeated. We have done them a disservice by trying to give them a normal experience. In this time and place they are not normal. The ability to fight and fight well is something they will need in order to survive. That is the reality of the world in which we live. Moreover all the senior students have expressed a desire to join the X-Men after they graduate. Previously we had decided to delay training until the summer. I know Scott disagreed with that and I am now forced to acknowledge that he was right."

Storm could see where he was going with this. Seldom in her time at the school had she ever doubted Xaviers judgement. "Charles the man is a bomb just waiting for the opportunity to explode. He all but told me not an hour ago that I was a fool to trust him. I simply cannot see him willing to be the kind of teacher that the students need. I want very much for Logan to find a place here but how can we ask him to train the students if we know he disagrees with us on so many issues"

"I understand your concerns Ororo and I will not make light of the risk we would be running asking Logan to undertake their training. However, I would like to at least ask him to instruct them in the martial arts. I can think of no one here or coming here who matches Logans skill in the art of fighting. As for their group and powers training, it will begin with end of the school year and will be under Scotts instruction. If it will ease your fears I can promise you that I will be monitoring any teaching that Logan does very closely. Please Ororo, this is not something I have thought of on a whim. I am convinced that for the safety of our senior students this training is necessary and that Logan is the right person for the job but I need your support if it is to have any chance of working."

She was by no means certain that Xavier was making a wise decision. Storm could understand his thinking though, and knew that if this plan was successful it could bring Logan into a much closer relationship with the students. As she mused on what Xavier said, as she finally agreed that the experiment should at least be given a trail (pending Logans agreement of course); and as her sleepy and stressed mind struggled to run though all the ramifications of what he proposed she never did realize that Xavier had not fully answered her original question.

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews RhiannonUK and tamazi. Glad you like it so far. Anyone who reads this please feel free to give advice on how to make my writing better.

The katana sliced through the air impacting the shoulder join cutting through flesh and bone. As the man cried out and fell away another leaped forward to take his place. Already the sword had drawn back blocking a strike as a leg kicked out and slammed a different body into someone behind. The hands holding the weapon moved with a speed and surety that only comes from many years of rigorous drill and practice. Those hands belonged to a man who knew for a fact that he had never even pick up a sword in the fifteen years that he could remember. Block, slice, kick, block...what the hell...how was he doing this?

It had all started as an opportunity to try out Xavier's newest toy. It was called the Danger Room. Scooter must have figured that one out he thought. It was built so that they could practice against a variety of opponents and fighting styles. Anything from a mugger to the Incredible Hulk could be programmed into the computers and would then be reproduced as a holographic image that moved and fought like the real thing. In the twenty minutes that Logan had been there he ran though all of the training routines that had been set up by Scott for the rest of the team. Needless to say he was not impressed. Most were stealth setups, sneak in get the poor captured mutant and sneak out. As soon as he started to kick ass the program failed him. "Damn it, " he said shaking his head. "Only Scooter would use a multi-million dollar machine to play hide and go seek." He walked over to the screen and looked at it again. Ororo had explained how to access the programs by using the touch screen. Eventually voice activation would be available for the computer illiterates like Logan. Backing up a menu Logan smiled at seeing the word archive. Programs from an older version of the Danger Room had apparently been transferred. Pressing the icon he saw the names Scott, Jean, and Ororo along with others he didn't know. What the hell he thought and pressed the first name on the list which was Betsy. There was only one program, something called Hydra. Shit wasn't that some kind of monster...oh yea seven heads breathes fire. Just what he needed to take the edge off his anger. He pressed the button and...nothing. Wait, a door opened next to the screen and when he looked inside he saw various swords and knives. One, a beautiful katana with an ivory inlaid handle seemed to call to him. Immediately after he pulled the sword out the room changed. Suddenly he was in hallway maybe eight feet wide. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of some kind of polished metal. About twenty feet ahead it turned a corner. Behind him the corridor opened up to a large room. Straining to hear he caught the sound of many bare feet coming toward him. He thought about just tossing the sword away, but somehow the feel of it was comforting. Griping it with both hands he sliced the air, surprised that it felt so good. Just then figures clothed in black from head to toe rounded the corner. Seeing him they screamed "HAIL HYDRA" and charged toward him, swords raised for battle.

While Logan was busy cutting and slashing his way through the hordes of Hydra, two young women watched wide eyed and open mouthed in the observation booth above. Through a pane of bullet-proof glass they could see directly through the (to them) transparent roof to the scene of carnage below. Dozens of black clad men were trying to get at Logan, but the narrow hallway only allowed two or three at a time to fight him. The ones behind this first group waited for someone to fall so they could rush forward to take their place. They didn't have to wait long. Logan's speed and footwork were amazing. His blade moved so fast that it difficult to see and no matter what the men he fought tried he was never caught flatfooted. Katana whirling Logan was fighting them to a standstill. Blood was splashed and limbs hacked off. Rogue felt a little queasy at all the gore. Looking at the girl beside her as Jubilee stared at the melee below she thought that maybe this wasn't the best idea they had ever come up with.

They had both slept the morning away after Ororo had walked them back to their room. Rogue had been very tired having sat up with Jubilee most of the night as her friend told her what had happened while she was held captive. While horrified at what Jubilee had gone through, Rogue was glad that Logan had talked her into staying. The brash outspoken girl had quickly become her best friend at the school. Rogue was the only person besides the Professor and Storm who knew what Jubilee's life had been like before she came to Xaviers. She knew that behind her sometimes caustic tongue Jubilee struggled with a bad self image, fearing that other people would think badly of her if they knew what she had gone through. When hunger finally drove them out of bed they showered and made their way down to the kitchen. Grabbing sandwiches they sat down in the now empty dinning room.

"So Rougey...how come snowball wasn't hanging around outside our door waiting for you to make an appearance?" One of Jubilee's favorite pastimes was teasing Rogue about her relationship with Bobby. At least she was being quiet about it...for now.

"Jubes, ya know exactly where he is same as I do. Its his flight time in the Blackbird simulator. There's nuthin that turns a man's head like a pretty piece of machinery. Sides I'm not too happy with him right now. Told me yesterday that I should stay away from Logan...that he was dangerous! I had ta laugh at that. Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Don't know girl...wouldn't think he'd be like jealous...but you told me that Wolvie was sexy as hell. Maybe your little snowball is worried about competition. Then again maybe it was just my mood last night but I just didn't see what sexy you were talkin about."

"Well ya gotta remember girl that when I first laid eyes on him the man was stripped ta the waist and fighten in a cage! Ma good Lord he has the finest body ah have evha seen! Ah mean it Jubes, I luv Bobby Ah really do but sometimes when Ah think what Ah saw that night...well if you'd seen ya would know what Ah was takin about."

Jubilee covered her mouth to hide her smile. Every once in a while, when her friend got excited about something (usually when they talked about sex) her accent would get thicker. It was one of those things that drew people to Rogue. Despite the rotten card she had drawn in her mutation, Rogue was not one to hide her excitement about the people and things she cared about. She never pretended to be anything other than what she was. 'I don't know Rougey. He seems nice enough, and he's easier to talk to than I thought, but he's not like anywhere near as nice looking as Mr. Summers...just not as boring."

While Jubilee was talking Rogue noticed Logan walking past the open doorway carrying the bag he used when he worked out. "Well Jubes yer gonna get a little education, come on." Grabbing her friend's hand she dragged her into the hallway just in time to see Logan stepping into the elevator that lead to the lower levels. Walking over to the door she pulled out the card that allowed her access as well. Seeing Jubilee's surprise she confessed that when Logan was in a coma after the Liberty Island incident Jean had given her the card so she could visit him when ever she wanted. "I just kinda forgot to give it back" she said with a wink.

So a few minutes and wrong turns later found them sneaking into the Danger Room observation deck just as Logan was completing his warmup. Cracking his neck, Logan pulled his shirt off and started running through the simulations.

Rogue looked over at her friend and couldn't hide her smirk. Jubilee's gaze were fixed on Logan, her mouth hanging open eyes wide. "Ya better close that mouth girl before ya start droolin. Did ya evha see anythang so fine in all yer life?

"Now I know why you jumped in his trailer. What I want to know is why you haven't jumped his bones?"

"Shit Jubes its...well I don't really...Logans not like that to me. At least not now." Rogue was blushing, eyes looking down. "When I first met him...well Gawd the man made me horny just sayin my name. It's just not how he looks Jubes. When he first found me in his trailer he was so mad, I thought he was gonna dump me right there in he middle of nowhere. After he let me in his truck, he never implied anything like he expected to get any from me. He treated me with respect right from the first. I had forgotten what it was like for a man to treat me like a person and not a pair of tits and an ass. Logan looks real rough, but he was so kind to me. After he saved me on Liberty Island I had him in my head real strong and I realized that he didn't ...or maybe couldn't look at me that way. I mean he knew I was a girl...my inner Logan thinks I'm a real looker. It's just that I was the first person in a long time that meant something to him, and that was way more important to him then the other stuff. So I decided to suck it up and just be his friend, which isn't so hard now that I have Bobby. So kill me if I still like to perve on him a little." She finished with a knowing grin. What she told her friend had been pretty much the truth. It was just that what her inner Logan thought about her was more complicated then she had let on. Since that was also true for her, and she didn't really want to go there, she had told Jubilee as much as she could, or would.

"Don't know about that chica, could of sworn he was checking you out the other day at lunch. Maybe you outta ask him. You know how guys are."

"Jubes I'm not gonna go there. I'm real happy with Bobby and I don't think Logan would do anything even if he had those kinda feelings for me."

"Your sure babe? You wouldn't be pissed if he fell into the sack with someone else? Ya know I think snowball is a nice guy but damn Rogue...just damn."

Rogue had to smile. Its was pretty obvious that Jubes had fallen in lust. In fact the look on her face as she continued to watch Logan was almost predatory. "Why are ya asken girl, you got someone in mind? I thought you were stayin away from guys, tryin to get your shit together? I think ya need to get those hormones of yours under control."

Jubilee just shook her head and smiled. "Relax Rougey, I'm just like admiring the scenery. This was your plan ya know. If ya didn't want me to get an eyeful then why did ya bring me here. What's your problem you don't think Wolvie would be good for me?"

"Jubes are ya nuts? Ya just laid eyes on him five minutes ago and ya sound like yer ready ta jump him. Yer always rantin ta me about how guys are only out for sex. Well listen ta yourself"

Jubilee turned away from the spectacle of Logan below to pout at her friend. "Shit chica, why do guys get to have all the fun? Your damn right I wanna jump him. God look at him, the dude has the finest bod I've ever seen and I want me some. Look girl I'm not stupid, I know yer bud isn't gonna go all luvy on me. That's ok, cause I'm not lookin for a boyfriend, just some fun."

Rogue had no idea what to say, and before she had a chance to think of something all hell broke loose in the Danger Room. The girls had not been paying too much attention to what Logan was doing down there (just to what Logan was, or was not wearing). That changed when he started running the Hydra program. They stood watching as dozens of holographic ninjas fought with Logan, trying to force him further down the hallway to an open room where they could make their superior numbers count. Logan stood his ground not giving an inch as he fought the three opponents that could get to him. Whenever a gap appeared those behind the ones fighting him would throw daggers or darts of some kind, trying to catch him by surprise. Somehow Logan seemed to be able to tell which ones would hit him. Those he would flick his katana at deflecting the weapon away while not missing a beat in his sword play. The others he simply ignored as they whistled past.

Jubilee had heard from Rogue that Logan liked to fight and was good at it so she had expected to be impressed. What she didn't expect was a one man fucking army. "Shit babe I can't believe what I'm seeing. I thought you said he had some kind of freaky claws. So why is he makin like the fucking Lord of the Rings on steroids?"

"I don't know Jubes. I only really seen him fight all out like this once. That was the night Stryker's men came. Sure as hell didn't use a sword then. Ya know it's funny but I can't remember seeing anything inside his head about sword fightin. Usually when he fights he just punches the hell outta someone or like with the soldiers he'll go with his claws." In fact, though she tried not to show it Marie was throughly confused. If Logan was this good with a sword he had to spend a lot of time practicing, yet when she searched his memories she got nada.

"So like he never used a sword before and now he's like Zorro. Come on Rogue, that only happens in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ya know babe...we can make a video from this and sell it over the internet. God I can't believe how hot he is."

Rogue shook he head. She had thought that her friend would appreciate Logan's...finer qualities but now it looked like she had created a monster. A yellow horny toad. Well she was just gonna have to get ahold of herself...wait...it was too quiet...no more clanging of swords...UH OH...

"WHO THE HELLS UP THERE! Rogue what are you doin down here?" Logan sniffed the air and glowered, "LEE WHERE DO YA THINK YER GOING? Both of ya get down here RIGHT NOW!"

Marie turned to see her friend...her best friend...trying to sneak out and leave her to face Logan's anger alone. "Where are you goin girl? I though you wanted ta meet Logan up close and personal." The panic on her face made Rogue smirk. "Relax sugah, let me show ya how ta handle him." Taking her friends hand she walked into the Danger Room to face a glowering Logan.

"What are you two doin down here? I know that ya aren't allowed in the lower levels and I sure as hell don't think you should be anywhere near this place. Don't ya know how dangerous it could be if ya get in here?" Logan was talking to both of them but was looking directly at Rogue.

"Hence the name? Come on sugah we were just doin a little explorin. When I found out you would be down here we just thought we could watch see how this place works. Besides Jubes didn't believe all the stuff I told her about how good a fighter you were. Wanted to show her that Scott can't hold a candle to you when its comes to scrappin." Jubilee could see Logan visibly relax and realized it wasn't so much what she was saying, but the manner of her delivery. She talked calmly, deepening her accent and smiling as she looked Logan in the eye.

Logan ran his fingers through his hair nearly slicing his ear off in the process. Eying the sword in his hand, he put in back in the locker and closed the door. "Look kid I'm sorry I yelled at ya but this place is off limits for a reason. I'm not gonna say anything about this ta Chuck but I want both of ya ta promise ya won't come down here until yer givin clearance." After they assured him that they would do as he asked Logan turned to the computer screen and pressed a button that a few seconds later produced a disk that was a recording of the session he had just finished.

As they walked to the elevator Rogue asked him the question that was on both their minds. "Logan, how come I nevah saw you using a sword in any of your memories? I don't know much about sword fighin be you looked really good."

"Well kid the reason is that I don't remember ever using one, at least since those fuckers experimented on me and I got away. I have no clue how I got so good using one, but hopefully Chuck can help me find out." Shit he thought. I just thought I was goin nuts. Now here's the evidence.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hey anybody out there? Thanks for the reviews RhiannonUK and GottaLoveIt. If anybody else is reading let me know. If you don't like what I'm doing let me know why.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own them. I have never bee mistaken for a corporation.

Sitting behind his desk, Xavier took in the appearance of Scott and Ororo. Both were somewhat haggard, still lost in the grip of sadness over losing someone who had been such an important part of their lives. Charles knew that neither had slept well since returning from Alkali Lake and part of the reason for that was the guilt they felt over losing Jean. While worried about both he could see that Ororo had made better progress in recovering from the tragedy. Scott on the other hand seemed to have sleep walked through much of the previous week The clincher for him though was the simple fact that while both sat facing him only Storm would look him in the eye. Like his former students Xavier had been dealing with the pain of Jean's death. And while knowing that both he and Ororo had suffered greatly because of what had happened, in his heart he realized that Scott's pain and recovery would be longer and more difficult. The easy way out would have been to simply make the decisions on his own and then tell them later. But he was determined to change things and one of those changes was to make Ororo and Scott full partners in the running of the school. In the past when he needed advise on important matters he had mostly turned to Jean. He understood now the reason behind this was simply that she would agree with almost anything he proposed. This however had the effect of often leaving Scott and Ororo on the outside looking in. He saw this meeting as a first step in bridging that gap.

"Scott, Ororo, thank you both for coming. I wanted to have a chance to talk to you both before the Memorial service tomorrow. I have several things that we need to discuss, but first I'd like to hear from both of you. What are the top priorities that we need to address in order for the school to be fully functional again. Ororo would you please begin."

"Well to me the most important thing is more staff. Professor I don't see how we can start a full class schedule by the beginning of next week with things the way they are. Even if the three of us taught two subjects each we couldn't cover the entire class load."

Scott looked at her and took a deep breath, trying to keep control. "What your really saying is that we need to replace Jean. God damn it I can't deal with this.Ro. I mean we haven't even had the memorial yet...it's too soon for me to think about this."

"Charles asked me a question and I gave him my answer. Scott do you believe this is something I want to do. All I am saying is we cannot run the school with the number of people that we have now." She turned to look at Scott and as she spoke her voice cracked. "I know how much you loved her, but please remember she was my best friend too. I would do anything to bring her back but we also have a responsibility to our students."

"God Ro I didn't mean...I know you loved her too and I know we have to do something...it's just I'm not ready to move on. I just can't deal with finding her replacement."

Xavier spoke with a gentle voice, "Scott whoever comes to this school will never be able to replace Jean. I'm not asking you to stop morning her any more than I could ask it of myself. In a way this has little to do with our loss. I have been thinking for the last few months of our need to expand the teaching staff. It has been apparent to me for some time the difficulties you have all faced doing double duty as teachers and X-Men. I was going to implement this change over the next summer recess but it now becomes unavoidable."

"Charles...I do not want to stop teaching. I hope you are not asking us to choose one or the other. I know how necessary the X-Men are but that is not the reason I have remained here."

"Of course not my dear. It is not an either or proposition. Both of you will have whatever role you want. In fact what we do now will only be a stopgap to cover the remaining three months until the summer break. I had envisioned a situation that would still allow you both to teach, but with a lighter class load. That is the objective we will work toward by the end of the summer. For the balance of the term I want to add three new staff as soon as possible."

Scott though still on edge could see the need for what Xavier had in mind. "Ok Professor...I can see that we have to do something if our work is going to continue. As it is I'm not sure what your proposing will be enough. And to be frank...I'm not sure what I'll be able to do to help...at least for the next few weeks. Right now I have to get my head straight. God I...yesterday I tried to pack some of Jean stuff...I felt like I was betraying her some how. I just couldn't do it." Scott's voice was rough with emotion as he finished in a whisper, his head bowed.

Ororo was stricken with concern for her friend, but before she could gather her thoughts to reply Xavier brought his chair around to where Scott was seated. Reaching out he took the grieving man's hand in both of his. "We are here for you Scott, and will give you what ever you need. Please don't try to carry your grief alone. Perhaps this was not the best time to include you in this discussion but I am determined that you both must be part of the decision making process."

Storm saw a chance to bring them to what she was sure was the main reason Xavier had called them in. "Charles I believe we are confident that you will make the best choice of teachers to help get us through the spring term. I see no need to be involved in that decision. I am sure that when the summer comes we will be able to help plan the more permanent changes that will have to take place. Which brings us to the subject we discussed earlier today."

"Quite so. Earlier today Ororo and I discussed the need to begin training the senior students. All of them have expressed a desire to join the team once their education here is finished. I know that we disagreed on the timing of their training and I have come to the conclusion that you were right. I have been thinking of them as children and through their actions during our crisis they have proved me wrong. In light of what has happened it would be criminal irresponsibility for us to deny them the means to defend themselves. It is important that they learn the skills needed to become X-Men, but ever more vital is their need to learn how to fight."

Cyclops looked from Ororo to Xavier and took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. On one hand he was grateful that Charles was finally onboard with the need to start training the senior students. The problem was that Scott felt he was in no condition to participate. God he felt like the worst kind of traitor but he had to get away. Here at the mansion everything he saw, everywhere he looked reminded him of Jean and of the life they once had. It wasn't that he wanted to stop thinking about her, just that he needed some distance if he was going to be able to start putting his life back together. "Professor as you already know I'm in full agreement about the need to start a training program. But I can't stay here right now...I've got the get away from here until I figure out how I can live with what happened. In some ways I feel like I'm running out on you...but I'm afraid that I won't be much good to anybody if I stay."

Xavier could see that Scott was right. While things would be difficult with him gone Scott needed to come to terms with his loss and doing it here would clearly be too hard for him. Although tempted to simply not mention what he had in mind concerning Logan he realized that doing so would betray Scott's trust. "You know Scott that Jean's death has been hard on us all. She was important to the lives of everyone here. I do wish that you would stay and let us help you, but I also understand your need for distance to overcome your loss. While you are gone I will be happy to teach your classes for you. I also believe that we have a solution that will allow us to begin to train those who desire to join the team. I am going to ask Logan to begin instructing them in the art of fighting. He will also be in charge of their conditioning programs."

Scott had sat only half listening until Xavier spoke his last two sentences. He looked at the Professor in disbelief shaking his head. "With all due respect sir...have you lost your mind? While I'd be the first to admit that Logan is the better man in a fistfight that hardly qualifies him to teach our students. How is he going to even be able to communicate when half of what comes out of his mouth are grunts and the other half cursing. The man is prone to violence with a hair-trigger temper. You want him instructing kids who don't happen to share his healing factor. Then there's the fact that the man has no qualms about killing. What kind of X-Men do you want professor? I shudder to think of what lessons Logan would be teaching them."

"Scott, I do not disagree that there will be risks in allowing Logan to do this. I can assure you that he will be very closely monitored. As to you concerns over how or what he might teach the students Logan and I will come to an agreement before he begins. I know you do not trust him and here I think you are letting your feelings get in the way of reason. Our senior students were virtually helpless when our home was attacked. They are fearful that it will happen again and want to be able to defend themselves. Rogue and Jubilee have already approached Logan for personal instruction in fighting and he has agreed to teach them. They have both made it clear to me that his training is what they have confidence in.'

"Come on sir their not in a position to decide who trains them...their just kids. I know that they need training, I'm the one who wanted to start it last fall. I know Rogue trusts Logan for some reason, but that doesn't mean that she should be allowed to pick him as her personal instructor."

Ororo could not believe what she was hearing. "Scott was not your desire to begin teaching them what it takes to be on the team recognition that we needed to stop treating them like children. The fact is that they will both be adults in a few months and able to decide such things for themselves."

The leader of the X-Men took a calming breath. "I'm sorry ...you're right. I admit that last comment is out of line. You know I haven't once heard from either of you how Logan feels about this. That he isn't here tells me that you don't even know if he will agree. I could see him training Rogue, and maybe Jubilee as a favor to Rogue. But from what I know of him how are you going to get him to even stay, let alone spend months teaching teenagers?"

"Scott do you really think I would ask Logan before I had at least talked to the both of you? He is very conflicted about being here. On one hand I believe he likes that fact that there are people here who want him to stay. On the other hand he fears what Stryker said about him may be true."

At the mention of Strykers Name Cyclops wanted to blast a hole in the ceiling. "That goddamn bastard! What did he say to Logan? You mean they knew each other?"

Xavier frowned, wondering how much he should reveal about the shared history that Logan had with the man Scott held responsible for Jean's death. "As to what Stryker said to Logan, it was merely confirmation of what Logan believes himself to be, that is to say a killer. While I have no doubt that Stryker was lying Logan is only too ready to believe the worst about himself. As to the rest, I am going to have to ask you to talk to Logan for it is his story to tell."

Scott stood up and started pacing about the room. He couldn't believe what Xavier had just told him. Somehow this madman Stryker had know Logan before...before what? Before Logan was taken and experimented on or before he had come into their lives. God would it ever end? Just then there was a loud thump on the door which swung open the next moment as Logan burst into the room.

Wolverine stopped short as he took in the scene before him. Scott was on his feet had and had turned toward the door and away from Xavier and Ororo who were seated by the Professor's desk. "What havin a party? How come I got no invite? Sorry Chuck I can talk to ya later."

Logan turned to go but was stopped by Xavier's voice. "Logan I am glad you stopped by. We were just discussing something that concerns you. Please stay."

What the hell were they talking about he thought. Scooter don't look too happy, but then again that's been true since they got back. Shit bet Wheels has decided to pull the plug on "Operation Make Logan Stay." Well Chuck was always the smartest one here so it was only a matter of time before he figured out having him around was just a bad idea. Logan thought he would be glad when this moment came, glad that he would be sent away before someone got hurt. The fact was all he could feel was numb, and a tiny dread that once more he would be alone. Nevertheless he decided to make their job easier. Pulling the disk out of his pocket he tossed to Scott who despite his surprise caught it easily. "I wanted to show this to Chuck first, but since your all here ya might as well see it too."

Scott walked over to the desk and slid the disk into Xavier's laptop. When the video began to play his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Logan in the danger room fighting with a sword! Looked like one of the many that Betsy kept stashed throughout the mansion. Somehow he must have found the archive with the old simulation of the Hydra fight, the one Betsy had run through over and over because she kept losing. Scott simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. Logan was having no problem at all in holding off the small army he was fighting. In the course of the fifteen minutes that they watch, he suffered only a few minor cuts while dispatching over half the Ninja. Finally Logan's voice ran out "End simulation," and the screen went black.

Xavier was the first to speak voice filled with awe. "That's incredible Logan. Your skill surpasses that of Betsy Braddock and she is one of the world best. I cannot tell you how happy I am that you have made this breakthrough..."

That was as far as Xavier got before he noticed the look on Logan's face. There was a feral quality to it that startled him for the Professor could not fathom the reason his sudden anger. "Shit Chuck what the hell are you playin at. I didn't come here to be laughed at. I know what that video means so don't try ta sugar coat it with some bullshit. This just proves what I was tellin Ro all along. They made me a killer and taught me how to use any weapon available to get the job done. Look... I'm sorry about flyin off the handle. I got no cause to be mad at ya after all ya did for me"

Of course thought Xavier. Leave it to Logan to interpret any discovery made in the worst possible way. Before he could say anything Scott took a hand at rebutting Logan's gloomy view. "Damn it Logan get your head out of your ass and listen. Why the hell would those military goons that experimented on you teach you how to use a sword. After all you already have six blades in your hands. Think about it. The only time you could have learned to fight like that would be before ever becoming involved with the men who took way your memories. Don't you see, something is starting to come back. This is a piece of your life from before ths claws. For whatever reason sword fighting was important to you at some time in your past. This has to be from before the fifteen years you remember."

"Scott is correct Logan. This skill of yours has to be from before you were altered. Just as the events of the past are stored in our memory so to are the skills we have learned allowing us to recall them even after many years of disuse. Perhaps some kind of trigger has caused this ability to resurface or it could be that your brain has healed itself of some of the damage done to it. In any event you may find other skills that you have not exercised in many years come suddenly to mind"

With a look of understanding Logan shook is head. "Already happened Chuck. The windows that me and Pete fixed. Never done any construction work that I can remember. Framed those windows perfect every time. Didn't even think about it until just now. Tested out in the Blackbird simulator just the other day. Made a perfect landing in zero visibility and dangerous crosswinds. What the hell is goin on? After fifteen years why is this happening now?"

Charles was pondering this very question. "The mind is still a great mystery Logan. Frankly I do not even know how it is possible to take a person's memories away. As to why you are now remembering certain skills you acquired during your long life. The only reason that occurs to me is that something that happened during the time you spent at Alkali must have triggered the release of these memories. Have you had other flashbacks...or anomalous dreams since our return?"

"No flashbacks but I've been havin these dreams...of some of the stuff they did to me...after they altered me. Things that I never remember dreamin about before. "

Xavier could see Logan's reluctance to elaborate and decided not to press for the time being. He knew that Logan had never gotten over the massive trauma he had suffered at Strykers hand. What Logan needed was professional help, but the matter had to be handled very delicately if the man was ever to cooperate. "Perhaps you and I can talk about this another time. It might help if you would write down the dreams that are new to you. While doing so will be painful the exercise may help unlock other hidden memories. Logan please sit down. There is something else we would like to talk to you about." While Logan took a chair Xavier stole a quick glance at Scott. His slight nod was all the encouragement Xavier to go on.

"Scott, Ororo and I have been talking about a number of problems that school is faced with in the wake of Strykers attack. Most of these have to do with our need to increase staff and have nothing to do with you. There is however one subject that I would like to get your opinion on. All the senior students have said that they wish to be considered for active status as X-Men when they graduate. I was wondering what you thought of their potential, and of what kind of training you think they should have?"

Logan gave a surprised glance at Cyclops. Turning to Xavier he stared at the man wondering what the hell had brought up this question. "Well Chuck I don't have the first idea if these kids got what it takes. Well...that's not really true. I'm sure Rogue would do just fine. She's tough and once she want's somethin it would be pretty damn hard to stop her from gettin it. Her friend Jubilee... that kid has got a lot a guts. I happen ta know she thinks of you people as her family and would do anything ta keep ya safe. Pete seems like a pretty mature guy, at least that's the sense I got workin with him on repairs the last few days. Look I'm sure their all good kids and they mean well. But are you sure that fightin as X-Men is what they really want to do. None of the seniors except for Rogue are obvious mutants. They don't have ta stay here once their done with school. They can go out inta the real world and pass as human any time they want ta. I ain't saying that's what they should do. I'm just wonderin if they know what their options are?"

Ororo was surprised at Logan's thoughtfulness and also concerned that he had a valid point. "Professor I think we must consider this very carefully. It would be reasonable to assume that the students wanted to join the team because they believe in the cause. But it could just as easily be that they feel that they owe you something in return for all you have done for them."

Scott shook his head and frowned. "I don't think it's that simple Ro. It's not that easy for any of us to understand our motives for doing something. These kids are all pretty smart. They know what kind of choices they have. None of them strike me as acting out of obligation."

"I hope you right Summers because your not just askin them ta go out on rescue missions with ya. Yer askin them ta join in a war. If ya think humans are gonna make nice just because of some speech the president made yer even dumber than I thought."

"Gentlemen please!" Xavier wanted to head off any argument that would side track them. "While I share Scott's confidence concerning the motives of our students, I dare say that we will have to make sure that they are not misplaced. You see Logan this is exactly why I want your perspective. We need a fresh pair of eyes when it comes to the students, especially with regards to the training they will require. Logan I would like you to evaluate them as individuals and as a group. I would be very grateful if you would also help us in correcting their deficiencies in regards to their fighting skills."

Logan shook his head and smiled. "Come on Chuck, say it in English. Ya want me ta teach em how ta kick ass." Looking at Scott he frowned. "What about you Summers? Are you on board with this little plan? Where do you fit in on this?"

"Well frankly Logan I'm surprised your even considering this. You know this is not something you can do for a few weeks and then drop it. These kids will expect you to stick with them until they are X-men. When the Professor brought it up I had my doubts and I still do. At the same time I know you can teach them things that they are going to need, things that you know better then me. As to where I fit in the answer is nowhere right now. I'm taking a leave of absence from the school effective right after Jean's memorial. When I get back we can figure the rest out."

"Shit kid I didn't think you were that smart. Knew ya needed to get outta here for a while, but I never thought ya would admit that to yourself." Logan sat pondering what answer he should give Xavier. He just couldn't find it in himself to leave while Scott was also gone. There was also the chance that Xavier might be able to help him with his memories. The clincher though was the fact that when Summers came back he would be able to hand off his duties and leave with a clear conscience. Still there was one thing...well actually a lot of things but one he had to ask about. "How do the kids feel about this? Oh...let me guess...no one bothered ta ask em. You all give a great speech about treating them like adults so when are ya gonna start? I ain't gonna do it unless they agree. I'm gonna ask a lot out of em so I wanna make sure they are behind this one hundred percent"

Xavier looked sheepishly from Scott to Ororo before addressing Logan. "Well yes that was an oversight on my part Logan and you are quite right. Since tomorrow will be the Memorial we will meet here with the students the day after."

Logan nodded and left the office. Xavier let out a long sigh. It was so much easier when people just did as he asked without question. Not for the first time he pondered about how much simpler his life would be if he had no qualms about how he used his powers.

Scott stood up to leave then looked back at his mentor. "Sir I'm still not convinced this is the best course of action. But I have to admit your right about one thing. I have always had trouble trusting Logan even though he has never really given me any reason to believe that he was not trustworthy. I'm sure that the way he came on to Jean has a lot to do with it. That being said I just hope you know what your doing Professor"

With that Scott and Ororo left him to his thoughts. Xavier was glad that everything had gone so well. He had been worried that Scott would simply refuse to have anything to do with his idea leaving him with an impossible dilemma. Xavier knew that the school just would not be able to go on if Scott left for good. He also knew that Logan was the one person that could be relied upon to teach his students what they needed to learn. For the most part Charles Xavier still held to the philosophy that had been the guiding force in his life. He was still determined to protect humans and mutants from each other and to accomplish his goal with a minimum of violence. The episode of Alkali Lake had changed him in one important aspect. After having seen his school attacked while he was used by a madman to almost kill millions of people he knew somethings would have to change. Logan would not hesitate to do what had to be done if the circumstances arose. He was determined to see that his students could and would be able to defend themselves. More then that he wanted to be sure that they would be taught to use any means necessary to defend themselves and his dream.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks to Jedi Padfoot and of course the ever faithful RhiannonUK for your reviews. Also a late thanks to Crazy4Cocopuffs. As always any suggestions are welcome. And of course I don't own any of this.

Logan sat with his back to an old oak tree that bordered a small lake at the southern end of Xavier's property. Here away from all the noise of the guests, and the glare of the floodlights that covered the mansion he could relax. To assist his relaxation he brought cigars (Cuban of course) and some of his special Kentucky moonshine. The day had been one of the most painful that he could remember, and he could recall some **very** unpleasant times. First there was the fact that he actually had to wear clothes that were not flannel and denim. From his very limited wardrobe he selected black pants and a grey dress tee-shirt. Marie had all but dragged him to a nearby men's clothing store and bullied him into buying a sport coat (black of course). He refused her demand that he wear a tie. Then there was the meeting and greeting. He quickly lost track of how many people he shook hands with much less their names. Logan was not exactly a touchy feely kind of guy so it made for a disagreeable hour and a half as he did his best not to growl and flinch while complete strangers grabbed his hand and tried to make conversation with him. The only people he really paid any attention to were Jean's parents (he tried to be polite) and the various mutants who showed up, many alumni of the school.

Finally there was the service. It began with a prayer from Kurt. Dozens of people gave testimony to Jean's compassion, fearlessness, and her love of life. As he sat listening to her friends, relatives, and students Logan realized how little he knew about her. He was glad for the chance to find out from them all he could about Jean, but he also felt a sense of jealousy because he would only be able to know these things second hand. Thinking about her as their words washed over him he tried to get a handle on his own feelings. From the beginning Logan had felt himself off balance with regards to Jean. Here was a woman that he could not fit into the easy categories that had served him so well in the past. From the first moment they met he was aware of her desire for him, yet she never let on that she had any intention of stepping out on Scott. She neither feared nor pitied him, but instead offered him something that was alien to his experience. She accepted him as he was, but also challenged him to be more than he had ever thought he could be. She gave him something he had never remembered having: she believed in him. More then anything else it was what drew him to her. She believed that he could be a good man, that he was trustworthy and could be relied upon. He still didn't think he knew what love was, so he couldn't be sure if he had loved Jean. But because of her he thought he had a clue as to how love began. It started with the kind of unconditional belief that Jean Gray had invested in him. So when Xavier, Scott and Ororo brought the whole gathering to tears with their final words Logan didn't mind so much that he was among them. There was not a doubt in his mind that she was worth crying over. And for him that was saying something.

The sun was setting by the time the memorial drew to a close. Dinner was being served for all the guests, but Logan was not interested in food. Grabbing a jug of moonshine and his cigars he headed for the seclusion of the lake. He had a lot of things to think about, and Logan did his best thinking when he was drunk (or at least as drunk as a healing factor would allow). He was damn glad this jug of Kentucky goodness had arrived when it had. As twilight deepened into full night he thought about Jean and what she had said to him. "Logan, the good guy sticks around." God its seemed so long ago. Later in his tent, after he threw the blue bitch out he had actually considered doing just that. At the time it felt like she was rejecting him. Affirming her love for the boy scout, by pointing out that Logan could never give what she craved above all else. Certainty. But at the same time maybe she was telling him what he would have to do in order to win her trust. Stick around. Now here was a kick in the ass. Jean was no longer here and Logan was feeling his way toward doing just that. What the hell was going on. The real irony was that he knew that Jean had it wrong. He could stick around, but he would never be the good guy. He was a weapon, a thing. Shaped by Stryker to do...what? Well the bastard certainly didn't "improve" him so he could teach a bunch of mutant kids how to kick ass. Lost in thought Logan almost missed the soft footsteps of someone approaching along the path to the lake. Logan took a sniff and growled. "Damn it Summers, can't you leave a man alone to get drunk in peace?"

Scott walked up to Logan and sat down facing him. Not saying a word, he simply held out his hand. Logan's scowl changed to a wicked grin and he handed him the jug. Uncorking it, Scott took a long pull. Immediately he began to cough as the moonshine burned down his throat. "My God Logan what the hell is this?"

"Nectar of the gods...180 proof made in Kentucky...although I ain't quite sure what they actually distill it out of...yer better off not knowin." Logan grabbed it out of Summers twitching hand and took another swallow. "Ok Summers ya had a drink and ya look like yer not gonna leave me in peace. What the hell do ya want?"

Cyclops tried to clear his throat, but when he spoke he could barely whisper. "I wanted to speak with you about the Professor's offer. Why are you doing this Logan. We both know that you are not going to stay here and I doubt you harbor idealistic dreams of humans and mutants living in harmony"

He took another drink from the jug and passed it back. "Look bub, I'm doin this for the same reason I do everything else: because I want to. You don't know a damn thing about me. Would ya believe I am a dreamer. Most nights I dream of the things that those fuckers did to me. I wish all they were was dreams but now I know what I'm seeing are memories of what Stryker did to me. I don't want ta see a bunch of kids go through the same things. You got it easy Cyke. If they ever capture you their only gonna kill ya. But Rogue, Jubes and the rest would be the mother lode ta them. Young enough to be controlled, molded inta more weapons for the sick fucks that made one otta me. I don't wanna see that happen."

Scott shook his head I disbelief. "So that's how you knew him. God Logan I had no idea...you know...they used some sort of drug to control me. The Professor said it came from the brain of Strykers own son. I almost killed Jean myself. I could see it happening like some Saturday morning cartoon, but it was like someone else was running my body... shit...I need another drink." He grabbed the jug and took a swallow, trying not to gag. He wasn't sure whether that was from the moonshine or the memory.

Logan growled low in the throat. Scott felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle. The man jiggered his instincts like nobody else. Henry was far more feral in appearance, but had the beast on a very short leash. With Logan you were never quite sure. God he looked human...but the animal was also there, sometimes well hidden, other times like now just barely restrained. And that lead to his biggest question. Was Logan really in control? Scott's greatest fear was what would happen if Logan gave in to his animal nature. Could he keep it together or...what? "I still don't understand why your agreeing to do this? I know you don't share the Professor's hope that we can find a way to live with the rest of the world. Look I'm just trying to understand why you would stay when the only reason I can think of ...is dead."

"You have a problem hearing bub? Do you think that just because we got rid of Stryker and his goons that it's over? He was just the guy up front, somebody else had ta be behind him. Some kinda government agency that's so deep undercover that any investigation will draw a blank."

Scott shook his head. "The president assured us that Stryker had no present connection with the United States government. The soldiers he used had no idea that he had exceeded his authority." But even as Scott said it, he was disgusted at how lame he sounded.

"When the hell are you gonna wake up? Of course the fuckers had no _written_ permission to do what they did. Ya think anybody is gonna take responsibility for something that nearly killed the whole country? Damn it Summers this is all besides the point. The only thing that matters now is that your little operation is out in the open. The wrong kinda people know ya got dozens of the most powerful mutants in the world. Young ones that can be trained just the way they like. There's no way ta hide it unless ya want ta close this place and go underground. I'm telling ya Cyke that there is no way the world is gonna leave ya in peace. What the hell do ya think somebody...lets say a spy agency...would give ta have someone like Rogue workin for em. Someone who can find out anything a person knows just by touchin them?"

Cyclops felt sick and it had little to do with the rotgut moonshine he was drinking. What Logan was saying was so obvious that he was embarrassed at his shock. Ever since Jean's death he had been oblivious to the wider ramifications of the attack. A dark thought entered his mind. He would be willing to bet his sports car collection that what Logan was saying would be no surprise to Xavier. He couldn't believe that Xavier would be aware of something like this and yet not talk to him about it. Not for the first time he wondered what kind of secrets his mentor kept from him. "If what your saying is true, and I can't think of a single reason why it's not; there is no way I can leave the school."

Logan just scowled and jumped to his feet. For some reason he felt uneasy about this whole conversation. "There's no way ya can stay Summers. Right now yer no good ta anyone. Besides nothin's gonna happen right away. They know where we are and what we got...at least they think they do. Anyone who's gotta ounce of brains ain't gonna rush in. Their gonna take their time make sure they do it right. Sides I'm sure if old Chuck thought there was gonna be a problem right away he would of made a bigger stink about you leavin"

"Why do you want me out of the way Logan? You know the Professor is not going to allow the students to be taught anything he deems inappropriate. He's going to be watching you. Look...I know we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but I want to work with you on this. I understand our students need to start learning how to defend themselves, but their still students, young kids. I want your help in turning them into fighters, but not killers."

Logan just started at him, his expression reveling nothing. But his mind was going a mile a minute, trying to decide how much of what he suspected would be safe to tell. Too bad, he asked the right question, but about the wrong person. Instead of wonderin why I want him out of the way, maybe he needs ta ask Xavier that same question. Best not to go there he thought. "Look Slim, yer not gonna be dealing with a couple a fat drunks from the Friends Of Humanity. Ya can still handle those fuckers with kit gloves if ya wanna. But ya gotta understand somethin. We won't just be teaching the kids to defend themselves. Hell you know enough fancy moves to do that. Their in a fight for their lives now, and the sooner we all understand that the better. It may be that they'll end up deciding on their own to hold back, not go full out because they can't bring themselves to do what it takes. I'm not sayin I like it because odds are it will cost them and the people that depend on them. But it's gotta be **their **choice, not something you, me or Xavier choose for em. I'm not gonna tell them what to do...just offer them **all **the options."

Scott slowly rose to his feet, surprised that the moonshine Logan had shared with him had such a potent effect. His drinking partner had walked down to the edge of the water and was staring out over the smooth black surface into the woods on the opposite side. God he hated the man's arrogant attitude. He couldn't help but worry over Xavier trusting him to teach their students. On the other hand ever since Alkali Lake he had questioned whether they could continue to hold back without endangering themselves and those who relied on them for protection. "Well Logan, I'm not sure if I can bring myself to do what it takes. When I first came to this school I was just trying to escape from the outside world. The Professor was adamant that we had to be more then just a place to hide, a leper colony for mutants. We were going to show the world that X-gene aside there was no difference. We were going to prove to the non-mutants that they had nothing to fear. Someday they would be able to see that powers aside we have the same dreams, hopes, and fears as any other human beings. That's why I'm still here. You can walk down any street in the world and the only reason people will fear you is because you're an asshole. The only way I'll ever be able to do that is when the dream comes true. If we start killing people with our powers then the fear and hatred will never stop."

During the entire time Scott had spoken Logan started out over the lake. Turning suddenly he fixed him with a stare. "Sorry Summers it don't wash. Every animal has the right ta defend itself. Nobody wants ta go lookin for a fight, but that don't mean ya roll over when they come. The only way yer gonna defend your dream is if fuckers like Stryker have ta think twice about what will happen if they come through the doors. Damn it if ya think I wanna teach those kids to kill yer wrong. What they need to know is how to survive. That's what I aim to teach em. But ya know that already...so what are ya tryin ta tell me huh? I ain't worried about you kid. I know that when they come through that gate again you'll do what it takes." With that said Logan turned and walked casually along the north shore of the lake until he reached the tree line. Suddenly he melted into the shadows at the edge of the forest and was gone.

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She was clad from head to toe in black, but that was only for the extraction. To keep her hidden from the eyes and powers of the subjects of her surveillance she relied on the latest toys from the big brains in Tech. In this case a device that could bend light rays around her position so that she could not be seen with normal vision. Of course since Xavier's was the headquarters for not normal they also provided her with a cap that rendered her invisible to telepaths. The boss had warned her that it would only fool Xavier if he was not actively looking, so as the saying goes don't get caught. She was forty feet up a tree on the east side of the lake which allowed a commanding view of the days events. The job was simple. Get pictures of everyone who came and get out without being seen. The operation had gone without a hitch until just before sunset. Just as she was preparing to lower the equipment down someone came down the path that ended on the opposite side of the lake. He sat down with his back to a tree and started taking long drinks from a jug. Well shit she thought, just what I don't need. .

The distance was about 150 yards, but most of that was over the lake. Still not a problem, just had to wait until the jerk was drunk. Might as well do a little sight seeing while she waited. Positioning the camera to give the best view, she flipped the switch that activated the night vision feature. Even though he was sitting she could tell by how long his legs were that he was well over six feet. God the man was build. Powerful muscles showed clearly by the skin tight tee he wore. What the hell kind of hair was that. Handsome face framed by bushy sideburns and a pair of intense eyes. About fifteen minutes went by with no indication Hairy had noticed anything when another hottie showed up. Damn were all the guys here this good looking? Definitely needed to lose the weird shades, but it was a nice package otherwise. For about another ten minutes the two of them talked and shared the jug. During this time the wind began to pick up, the movement reminding her of riding a soft swell at sea.

Suddenly Hairy stood up and walked to the edge of the lake. SHIT! He was staring right at her. Get a grip she thought. No way he could see her. Heart pounding she froze. Then the guy turned away and said something to Glasses. After that he walked slowly toward the tree line. A little too slowly. Time to get the hell out of Dodge. Slinging her camera over her shoulder she slipped quietly down from her perch. Snapping on her night vision goggles and breaking into a trot which angled her away from where she thought Hairy would come from. She pressed a stud on her belt, sending a signal that told the extraction team she was hot. They had their orders. If spotted she was on her own. Time for plan B. Breaking into a sprint she tore through the trees making for the cycle that was hidden by the side of the road which bordered the woods. Broke through the trees, got her bearings and turned left. There was the bike only fifty feet away. Running toward it she chanced a glance behind and saw no sign of pursuit. Damn she thought, he probably never even saw me. Suddenly a shadow loomed out of the forest edge and a voice called out, "Goin somewhere darlin?"

Nobody could fault the speed of her reaction. Even as the voice called she pivoted and lashed out with her left foot catching him with a full extension kick right on the chin. FUCK! Hairy"s head snapped back, but her foot felt like it had hit a steel beam. Turning she staggered barely able to keep her feet. Then she heard something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Hairy Growled. What the hell? As she turned to face him he exploded out of the woods, his right shoulder ramming into her exposed ribs. Flying back she hit the bike which crashed to the ground with her on top. As Hairy loomed over her and she began to black out her last thought was that Fury was going to be pissed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**a/n:** Thanks to Jedi Padfoot, Ryla, and the ever faithful RhiannonUK. Your reviews are appreciated. Please feel free to point out where I can improve

**Disclaimer: **Their not mine.

Her first thought was that she was going to have to take that job in cryptography. Breaking codes had to be better then waking up feeling like she'd been trampled by buffalo. Every breath she took was painful...must have cracked some ribs. Oh yea...that big hairy guy...what was he, some kind of mutant linebacker. Opening her eyes slightly, she noticed that her left foot was fitted with a soft cast. The room looked like some kind of medical facility, but nothing like she had seen at SHIELD. Just then a door opened to her left and she heard voices.

"...you didn't have to break every bone in her body. We need to find out what she was doing here. With all the damage you did she won't be able to talk for a week."

"Will you lay off Summers. What the hell was I supposed to do, hold her damn camera while she got on the bike. Besides I only hit her once."

"Logan a broken foot, three fractured ribs, and a dislocated shoulder. Henry said that it's lucky that her lung wasn't punctured. She's a woman damn it. We don't go around beating up women."

"She's a fucking spy dickhead. I don't give a shit if she's Mother Teresa. I did what I had to do to keep her from gitin away. I didn't go lookin for a fight, but she wasn't gonna just give herself up. Do ya think that because she's a woman that ya don't have ta worry. I think ya forgot that we live with a woman that could kick both our asses six ways ta Sunday."

"That's different and you know it. My God Logan you have to show some restraint. She hit the motorcycle so hard the handlebars were bent. Look I don't like this any more than you do. We don't know who she's working and it makes me sick that someone thought Jean's memorial made a perfect time for spying on us..."

"Will ya listen to yerself. Get it through that thick head of yours. The kind of people that dame works for ain't gonna play by yer rules. Ya know Summers I'm beginin ta think..."

Suddenly all conversation stopped. Lying perfectly still she strained to hear any sound or movement, but the room had fallen silent. Then the voice of Hairy whispered in her ear, "Rise and shine darlin. Now ya wanna explain what ya was doin spyin on us. Or were ya just out for a little bird watching."

Her eyes snapped open. He was standing by her bed arms folded across his chest scowling at her. Another figure came into view. It was Glasses and he looked almost as pissed as the Hairy guy. Yea that job in cryptography was looking better all the time. After this fiasco she'd be lucky to be serving dinner at the SHIELD cafeteria. "I don't know what your talking about. I stop by the side of the road to check my bike and you assaulted me. I think you're the one who needs to answer some questions mister."

Before Logan could reply Scott stepped forward shaking his head. "If you think you can bluff your way out of this your wrong. We have video tape of you entering the grounds of this school yesterday morning. Too bad we were all so preoccupied with morning Jean that nobody noticed at the time. Then there is the camera you carried and the fact that you were dressed as you were... no I think that the police are the last people you want to see right now."

The door to the infirmary opened again and a man in a wheelchair glides into the room. "Well hello my dear. I am glad to see that you are finally awake." Xavier paused and looked at Scott and Logan. "I wonder if you two would mind waiting outside while I talk to our guest?"

Though phrased as a question they both knew that it was no request. Logan stared at the woman and growled. "Too bad darlin, I was lookin forward to gettin ta know ya better."

With that he followed Scott out the door.

Xavier moved his chair to her bedside. "Let me introduce myself. I am Charles Xavier, the headmaster of this school. And you are Lisa Donald an agent of SHIELD."

She just stared at him dumbfounded. How the hell did he...oh yea that Xavier... the one they warned her about. Her hand shoot up to her head but the cap was gone.

"Is this what your looking for my dear?" Xavier held up the device that was supposed to shield her from his power. "Do not be alarmed. It was not necessary for me to actively use my abilities to glean your surface thoughts. In fact your equipment and the manner in which you entered my property tells me all I wish to know about your mission." Xavier pull a cell phone from his coat pocket and placed it in her hand. "All I require of you is that you call Colonel Fury with this phone. I will do the rest."

Lisa had a feeling that environmental services would be best she could hope for. With shaking hands she dialed. Of course she didn't know Fury's direct phone number but after a minute talking with her operations supervisor she heard the gruff voice of the Boss on the line. "HelloColonelFuryIhavesomeonewhowantstotalkwithyousir."

That done she handed the phone to Xavier and laid back in bed closing her eyes. Maybe it was time to get out of the spy business.

"Hello Nicolas it seems that I have one of your people here as a guest. I am afraid she seems to have been injured while visiting us. Would you mind explaining to me what she was doing here and why you have chosen to renege on our agreement.?"

Nick Fury was not a happy man. He had been awoken at midnight when Donald's supervisor had been told by the extraction team that contact had been lost. Since then he had stewed in his office waiting for the man who was on the phone to get in touch. "Look Xavier I promised you that SHIELD would refrain from conducting operations against your people or any mutant that you would vouch for. Our agreement was never going to prevent us from gathering intelligence. Charles it's not that I don't trust you but we are under tremendous pressure to find out all we can about the mutants that are out there and what powers they have."

Xavier's voice was cold in reply. "Colonel Fury, did it ever occur to you that a memorial service was an inappropriate time and place to conduct a spy operation. Especially when the institution that you are spying on is the only reliable source you possess for the information you want. It escapes me how photographing the people who attended the service would give you any further insight. Have your people developed special mutation sensitive film? Now because of your recklessness a young woman has been seriously injured and the staff of my school are even less inclined to trust non-mutants then they were this morning."

Fury was in a corner and he knew it. Time to eat some crow. "Charles you know where I stand on this. SHIELD appreciates the value of the information you supply. We're both working for the same goal and I am doing everything I can to turn around the hotheads who want to blow everything up. But you have to work with me. Your people can't go around causing incidents like this. Donald is a duly authorized government agent and cannot be assaulted while performing her duty."

"Yes an authorized government agent...William Stryker also fit that description despite everyone's present desire to distance themselves from his actions. Nick I truly regret the injury Ms. Donald has suffered, but considering what we have gone through in the past week Logan is to be congratulated for showing the restraint he did. You should stop to consider that the incident as you call it was the result of actions by your organization. I must warn you that regardless our desire for peace between humans and mutants we will not tolerate these kinds of intrusions even from those that we consider friends."

"Don't threaten me Xavier. Look you don't have many friends right now so you better make sure you don't lose the ones you got. Why don't we just chalk this up to a unfortunate misunderstanding. I'll send around a car for Donald and we can just forget this ever happened."

Xavier was not happy, but he was pretty sure that Fury would think twice about going behind his back again. "Of course Nicolas, but please wait until morning so your agent can enjoy a few more hours of rest. I do regret this misunderstanding and I am sure the next time you need intelligence you will feel free to simply ask." With that he cut the connection. Sighing he looked at the now peacefully sleeping agent Donald. He felt no anger toward her, after all she was simply doing her job and had meant no one harm. Now for the hard part, explaining all this to Scott and Logan.

The argument had been as heated and prolonged as Xavier had anticipated. Fortunately he at least had been able to beg off till morning. Being apparently old and infirm did have advantages. Right now however he was not feeling in the mood to celebrate. Both men had been incredulous that their prisoner was going to be simply released and Xavier felt he had no choice but to explain the complicated relationship that he had with SHIELD. Scott's reaction to this new (for him) piece of information was unfortunate if not surprising. Accusing Xavier of leaving him "out of the loop" regarding something so important Scott stormed out of the office while he faced a glowering Logan.

"Ya know I don't see much the kids way but he's right on this Chuck. Don't ya think it's about time ya stopped treating him like a student. How the hell is he gonna lead your merry little band if ya don't tell him what he needs ta know?"

Xavier frowned, not used to being placed on the defensive. "It was not my intention to undermine Scott's leadership, but I was asked to tell no one of the connection I had with SHIELD. You see it is rather unofficial as the head of the organization happens to be a friend of mine."

"Maybe ya ought a tell this to Scooter. Frankly Chuck the less I know about all your connections the better I feel."

Logan got up to leave but Xavier gestured for him to stay. "I have taken the liberty of asking the senior students to come to my office so that we may discuss their training. They should be arriving shortly." Not wanting to sit down again he walked over to the window staring out across the lawn. Some of the youngest kids at the school were playing a game of soccer. Most mutants manifest their power at puberty, but a very small group were either born with them or manifested at a very early age. The school now had eight students under the age of ten. They had very little in the way of any useful power. It was their physical appearance such as tails, gills or a not normal skin or hair color that marked them as different. Logan shook his head. How long would these kids survive once the shit hit the fan? Xavier had talked about the need to find them someplace safe. He wondered in what dream world that place was. Hearing the door open he turned to see Rogue and Kitty walk in. Soon the other students arrived the last being a disheveled looking Jubilee who came in and flopped down on the coach between the other two girls. Apparently the kid wasn't a morning person. Heh heh he thought that's gonna change.

Xavier waited until everyone was settled before addressing them. While the Professor thanked them for all the hard word they had done to return the school to something approaching normal Logan took the time to study them as individuals. He already knew where Rogue and Jubilee stood. They had as much as told Xavier that they would no longer participate in the schools self-defense class unless Logan taught it. He knew Rogue's power through bitter personal experience. Unless she was able to gain some kind of control over her mutation she would not be able to join the X-Men. What Jubilee's "gift" was he had no real clue. Rogue had described it as a light show. What the hell was she going to do with that in a fight he had no idea. Peter probably had the most raw power but really didn't know what to do with it. Despite his offer to help the night of the attack Logan knew from some talks with him that he feared harming people when in his armored form. Having studied to be an artist he had little knowledge of combat techniques. Kitty's power cried out for stealth training, she would make an excellent ninja. The biggest wildcard in this was Drake. Logan had the sense that the kid was a follower who asked to join the team because people (read Rogue) expected that of him. There was no limit of useful things he could do with his ability, but if his heart wasn't in this it was time to find out now. Chuck was finished patting them on the back...walking over from the widow he stood behind and to the left of Xavier.

"...which brings us to the reason I have asked you to meet me today. All of you have expressed to me a desire to join the team once your education here is complete. More recently several of you have told me rather forcefully of your desire to learn how to defend yourselves in a more competent manner. While I had thought to limit your training until you were graduates of the school I believe in light what has happened that it would be unwise to wait that long. This being the case I have asked Logan to oversee a program designed to improve your conditioning and fighting skills. At the same time Ororo and I will work with you each individually to help gain more control over your mutant abilities. We will all work together on how to use those abilities in a combat situation. Now I am sure there are questions but before we get to those Logan has something to say to you."

"According to Chuck you're here because ya want ta be X-Men. Well were gonna find out just how bad ya want it. I'm askin Chuck to block out five hours a day for your training starting day after tomorrow through the end of summer. Anything he has planned for ya will be extra. Tomorrow I wanna meet with each of ya one on one so I'm sure ya don't have any questions. One more thing. I consider ya all adults and I know Chuck feels the same way. That means we ain't gonna tell ya to do something ya don't want to, and that includes training with me. I ain't taken this job unless **all **of ya agree to do this. So take some time to think about it. Get together and make sure your all on the same page. Any questions?"

Jubilee almost shoot off the coach. Logan had noticed her looking at him several times with an odd expression...almost like she...nah he had to be imagining that. God he was a sick fucker sometimes. "Dude I'm on board with you handlin the training...you already know that. But **five hours**...why so freakin much?"

"Well kid it's not just learning how to fight. Ninety minutes a day is gonna be set aside for a conditioning program. Chuck hired some kinda expert in fitness and we're setting ya each up with your own exercise plan."

"God Wolvie I'm already in great shape. You really think I need help with something like that. Of course if you want to spot me in the weight room I won't fight too hard."

"Kid I'm talkin about fightin shape. You, Rogue, and Kitty need to learn how to workout in a way that adds muscle. The guys need to concentrate more on flexibility. Plus ya all need to work on endurance. This stuff is important. I'm not the best one ta teach this that's why Chuck is bringing in help. I can stay in good shape doin pretty much nothing. If I want real improvement...well I gotta do things that would be too much for any of ya ...except maybe Pete."

The next question came from Bobby Drake and was addressed to Xavier. "Professor I thought that Mr. Summers was going to be responsible for this. Can you explain to us why things have changed?"

"That is an excellent question Robert. Logan's experience and abilities make him the logical choice to provide instruction in hand to hand combat. Scott will still handle team training but you will not begin that until toward the end of the summer. It was felt that the fighting and conditioning were our first priorities. I feel very strongly that all of you must have the means and knowledge to defend yourselves and that is what I am relying on Logan to provide for you."

"But sir I don't understand...we already have a self-defense class three times a week with Mr. Summers. What difference will another class..."

That was as far as Bobby got before Rogue angrily interrupted. "What the hell are you talkin about Bobby Drake? We need to learn about fightin, not how ta throw drunks and defend ourselves from muggers. Tell me Bobby, if that class was so good how come none of us except Logan could do anything against those creeps when they came? I am not gonna stand around and wait for us to become a target again. Next time someone invades my home I'm gonna kick their ass."

"Rogue you know that class was only teaching us the basics. I still don't see why we need to start over instead of building on what we already know. No offence Mr. Logan but I don't know if I want to be trained by you. What I want is to learn how to use my powers, not punch somebody out."

Xavier started to reply but Logan beat him to it. "Well kid did ya ever stop to consider what would happen if ya had to fight someone your powers don't effect. Hey let me tell ya it's more likely than ya think. For example I'm willin to bet a dozen Cuban cigars that no matter what ya did to me I could still knock ya out or worse before ya put me out of commission. Of course even if that's not true I would think you care enough about Rogue to want her safe. Using her mutation is always gonna be a last resort. Then there is the fact that at times you'll be goin up against people that ya can't use your powers on unless yer willin to take a chance on killin em."

"Logan is right Bobby...if you are to join the team it is imperative that you all be as proficient as possible fighting without resorting to use of your gifts. I now realize that my decision to withhold training from you until the end of summer was the wrong one. Logan is the best one to correct this deficiency, better even than Scott. While I will not force any of you to accept my decision I must ask that you trust me."

Bobby was feeling a little flustered with the entire groups attention focused on him. He was never comfortable rocking the boat and he was not willing to make Rogue any madder at him then she already was. "You know that I trust you sir. I'm willing to do what ever you think is best. I really want to be an X-Man and if this is what it takes you can count me in."

A few more questions and the students filed out to grab some breakfast. Logan wasn't happy that Drake had caved so quickly. It was obvious that the kid didn't trust him and he would have to find out why. Kitty was another problem. She hadn't said a word the entire time and had refused to meet his eyes whenever he looked at her. He wasn't really surprised, after all he had barely spoken with her during his short time here. What the fuck was he doing. His whole remembered life he had avoided any kind of situation that asked him to form attachments and care for others. Training them wasn't what scared him. They were smart kids and he was sure they would work hard. What scared the hell out of him was the feeling he had that leaving this place would be the hardest thing he ever did.

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Fury thumbed through the report on his desk, really just a transcript of the answers Donald had given to some questions he had asked her in the infirmary. When he had heard the name Logan during his little chat with Xavier his curiosity was aroused. His first thought was coincidence. Lots of people go by that name. After all it had been twenty years. Still he was interested enough to see Donald right after she was retrieved from Xavier's. He asked her to give him a short summary of what had happened and tried to be casual when she recounted the man who had brought her down. Damn it he wished he had a photograph. Still as he recalled the appearance of his Logan and listened to Donald describe the man who had caught her he realized that there was more then a passing resemblance. Certainly this warranted further investigation if only to eliminate the small chance that is was him.

Then one off hand question changed everything. As Fury got up to leave Donald's supervisor asked her how they had spotted her. The man wanted to know what flaw in their technology the mutants had been able to exploit. Donald looked a little reluctant to answer but finally spilled the beans. "Well sir according to this Logan guy they never saw me."

Fury turned and stalked back to her bed. He looked down at her and could see the confusion written on her face. Suddenly it was all clear. He asked the question that he already knew the answer to. "Then how the hell did he manage to capture you if he couldn't see you?"

"Well I asked him that same question as he was helping me into the car. He just looked at me taped his nose and said, "This never lies." What does he mean by that sir?"

Fury just shook his head and left. When he got to his office he opened the safe where he kept files that he didn't trust to the SHIELD computers. Flipping through them he finally found the one he was looking for. The one marked Logan.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**a/n: Thanks MidLife for the nice review. You know right now I'm not quite sure where the story is going. I had a lot of it plotted out but it seems to be getting away from me. To RhiannonUK and Quinnell: Fury always has been one of my favorites in the Marvel verse. I always thought Logan and him worked well together. We'll just have to see. Thanks also to Ryla and Jedi Padfoot for reviewing. As always any help would be appreciated. Please let me know what you think. **

Kitty Pryde was running out of excuses. All day long she had found reasons to avoid meeting with Logan. There had never really been a set time she reasoned, Logan had just asked that each of them sit down for a talk with him before they started training. So he couldn't blame her if she was late. Or missing. Or finding a way to skip meeting him altogether. Then she wouldn't have to tell him her little secret. That she was scared shitless. Of him. Of learning how to fight. Of screwing up during a mission and getting someone killed. Especially herself. So she was hiding out in the one place where she thought he would not go looking. Here in the school library, well away from any windows she felt safe from his gaze. In point of fact there was one thing wrong with her plan. Actually several things. Since there was no food in the library (there was a drinking fountain and a bathroom) she would have to come out eventually. And although she was unaware of it, Logan didn't need to see her to know where she was. But the biggest problem with her plan was that she felt guilty. She had told the Professor she wanted to join the team, and at the time it seemed a really good idea. Her best friends were so sure of themselves, so why wasn't she that confident. Feeling more than a little fear, she nevertheless decided she had to talk to him. After asking Ms. Munroe she wandered down to the gym where Logan was working out with free weights. He was standing with his back to her curling a fifty pound dumbbell. Jubilee was right the man was blessed with a killer bod. Killer...that was the problem. Kitty nervousness increased as she recalled Bobby's description of Logan in action that night the soldiers came for them. Suddenly he stopped...and turned to face her.

Logan knew the half-pint was avoiding him. Usually in a situation like this he favored the direct approach. Didn't seem like the right way to deal with her. So he left word he would be in the weight room and headed down to wait her out. Sure enough she finally left her hideout in the library and came looking for him. Now he had to figure out how to talk to her without scaring her. Finishing his rep he turned and saw her standing by the door like a deer ready to bolt. He walked over to the weight stand to exchange the dumbbell for a heavier one.

"Come on in kid. We can talk here as well as any were else." He gestured for her to sit on the weight bench while he began another series of reps. "So...Kitty...you wanna explain ta me why your so keen to join Chuck's merry little band of do gooders?"

She had expected him to be mad, to curse her out for avoiding him. Instead of being angry he appeared relaxed...well as relaxed as a person could be while pumping iron. She took a deep breath and answered him.

"Honestly Mr. Logan I'm not sure myself. I don't think I really understood what the X-Men did when I told the professor I would join. I knew I wanted to help other mutant kids and I thought being part of the team would be the best way to do that. Now I'm not so sure."

Logan continued his rep switching from left to right and back while he listened. Damn it he thought this is just the kind of talk Chuck should have had with the girl months ago. Logan wondered how worried Xavier was about why these kids wanted to join up. After all if there's a war coming you need soldiers, lots of them.

"Kid do me a favor and just make it Logan. So yer havin doubts, that's not too surprisin. You would have to be pretty stupid not to. Sure yer gonna be helpin mutant kids, but yer also gonna be fightin some pretty scary people. I'll just take a wild guess and say that's what's botherin ya."

Mr...sorry... Logan your going to laugh at me but I've never been in a fight my whole life. When those ...when the school was invaded all I could think about was phasing myself out of there as fast as possible. I was scared to death."

"Ya know Pryde I'd be more worried if ya told me ya wasn't afraid. People who ain't got sense enough to be scared generally ain't worth a shit when it comes to a fight. I think yer just gettin ahead of yerself. Don't worry about joinin the team right now. Ya got plenty of time to decide."

"But...I don't understand. Isn't this like training us to be X-Men. Isn't that what the Professor wants you to do."

"Kid I'm not gonna lie to ya. Chuck is expectin all of ya to be ready to join when yer done with me.." He finished his reps and replaced the weight on it's stand. "But that's still your decision ta make. I ain't saying ya have ta be an X-Man. Frankly someone with yer abilities can help mutants in a lot of other ways. The one thing I'm saying ya gotta do is learn how ta fight"

Alright thought Kitty this is just too weird. "You mean you still want me to do all this training even though I'm not sure I want to join the team.. It just seems like a total waste of time."

"I'll tell ya straight Kitty ya got no choice. Too many people out there know what this place is and why yer here. Even if ya decide to leave and do somethin else yer gonna be in danger. The normals want us ta go away, and there's plenty of them that will attack ya for bein a mutant or will stand aside while someone else does. Told ya what Xavier wants but joinin up is for you to decide. But learning how to protect yourself and those ya care for is something ya have ta do."

Kitty sat lost in thought. While the notion of strange people wanting to hurt her and her friends was scary what he said made a lot of sense. She didn't have to decide everything right away. She couldn't believe how relieved she felt. The last few days she had done little but worry about what she would do. For now she would train with her friends and find out if wearing the leather uniform was what she really wanted.

"Thanks Logan. I feel a lot better about things now. I promise I'll try my hardest but I don't know how good a fighter I'm going to make. I wish my gift was something that gave me some kind of advantage like yours...or Pete's."

Logan tried not to smirk. Every time she said the Ruskie's name she practically purred. Shaking his head he gave her a serious look. "Believe me kid ya wouldn't want my healing. With yer thing ya don't have to worry about gettin hurt...if ya know what yer doin. My job is to make sure that ya do. Trust me we'll find plenty of ways for ya to use yer mutation. Now get goin. I think Chuck is gonna give the big intro for some new people he hired." At her questioning look he just shook his head. "I'm takin a pass half-pint. Need ta get out of here for a few hours. Now don't be late tomorrow." Smiling at her indignant expression Logan sauntered out leaving Kitty a little stunned. She couldn't believe it. She had made the Wolverine smile.

It was nearly midnight when Logan arrived back at the school. Tonight had been just what he needed to take a little edge off. Knocked back a couple (ok a couple of dozen) beers and won about two hundred dollars playing pool. Didn't manage to get in a fight but then again he didn't go to the right bar for that. After passing through the automatic gate he cut the engine and let the bike roll to a stop before walking it into the garage. Letting himself in he slipped out of his jacket and proceeded to do his usual circuit of the school before bed. After checking the outside perimeter he walked around the ground level checking doors and windows. Approaching the rec room he paused hearing the voices of Rogue and her boyfriend. It didn't sound like a friendly conversation.

"...all I'm saying is that we should give her a chance. It's just talking Rogue, she's not going to do anything else. Besides the Professor must trust her or she wouldn't be here."

"Bobby you make it sound like we were asked what we thought about this. Ah don't need to talk to somebody about my problems and I don't appreciate bein told Ah have to. Besides Ah don't see how anything that woman has to say ta me could be any help. She has no idea what it's like bein in our shoes "

"So that's why your mad. I thought this place was all about learning to live with non-mutants, helping us fit in with the rest of the world. How are we going to do that if all our teachers, hell everyone we have contact with is just like us?"

"Ya better wake up Bobby. Ah learned what they thought of me the day mah own daddy called me a mutie bitch and told me ta get out. Ya think someone like me is evah gonna be able to fit in then ya are nuts. Ah thought that after what happened with yer own family that you would understand. If our own parents wouldn't accept us why would the rest of the world?"

"I can't believe you Rogue. What gives you the right to throw that in my face. I know my parents love me...their just having a little trouble understanding it all right now. Just because your family couldn't cope doesn't mean that all humans react to us the same way."

"So they called ya ta tell ya that. Ah didn't think so. Here you are tellin me how well your family is copin and ya haven't heard jack from em. Ya know Bobby Ah thought families were supposed ta do more than cope. Ah have this crazy idea that their supposed ta love ya...even if ya are a mutie bitch."

"Damn it Rogue...will you stop saying that. What do you want from me? I'm not giving up on them Rogue and you know what, I'm not giving up on trying to live with the rest of the human race either. Professor Xavier brought this woman in to try and help us and you want nothing to do with her because she isn't a mutant. Well I'm sorry but that's the kind of attitude that we're supposed to be fighting against."

"Ya'll can believe what evah ya want to. Ah'm sick of well meanin people tryin ta help me ta see the light. Ah'm here because this is mah family now, the only one Ah'm evah gonna have not because a some dream about us being able ta get along with people that hate us. If Ah need someone ta talk to about what it's like ta be a mutant in this fucked up world Ah sure ain't gonna choose some normal who has no idea what Ah been through. If you want ta talk her ta go ahead, you'll make the Professor very happy. Sorry Bobby, but Ah'm done dreamin."

Logan slipped back in to the shadows as Rogue walked out of the rec room back toward the stairs leading to her room. Part of him wanted to go after her and try and calm her down offer her some comfort. The problem with that was he couldn't think of a thing to say. When it came down to it, there wasn't a single thing she had said that he would disagree with. Not for the first time he wondered how much of her anger came from the fact that she had absorbed him twice. What the hell was Chuck thinking hiring a human to work here after what had happened. It was obvious to Logan that Xavier still had his head in the clouds when it came to getting along with the normals. Well he couldn't get rid of her whoever she was but he was damn sure not gonna have anything to do with what ever little plan Xavier had cooked up.

God if there's anything that Jubilee hated more than math it was mornings. It was bad enough that she was expected to be in class by eight. It was worse that her new training would demand five extra hours of her time each day. Now Logan had a new bug up his butt about taking them for a run. In her opinion the very idea of running for any reason other than a threat to life and limb was suspect. But it was the time he had chosen that convinced her he was either deranged or a sadist. Probably both. Instead of scheduling it during their afternoon session he wanted to do it before morning classes. Before breakfast. Before any sane human being would even think of being awake. Six in the morning. Shit. She was beginning to wonder if the quality time that she would be able to spend drooling over Logan's incredible ass would be compensation enough for all the pain she was going to have to endure. Groaning she buried her head in the pillow and promised herself five more minutes. Suddenly a pair of gloved hands grabbed her blankets (hey she was a California girl) and yanked.

"Come on Jubi time ta get yer butt dressed. Ya got five more minutes before Logan comes ta get ya."

Wrapping her arms around herself as she staggered out of bed the Asian girl's first thought was that she was going blind. Oh yea...it was just dark... as in no sun darkness. Another good reason to stay in bed.

"You really think he would Roguey because right now I could use someone to warm me up. Of course if he did come here I don't think my ass would ever get dressed."

Rogue just shook her head and pulled on a sweatshirt before heading out the door. Jubilee opened the window and suddenly realized that her plan to give Logan an eyeful in return (tit for tat she had told a smirking Rogue last night) would have to be altered as the temperature outside was such that wearing what she had in mind would result in hypothermia. While having Wolvie carry her to the infirmary would be all kinds of good she couldn't escape the nagging thought that he would probably just toss her into the bushes and bury her body later. Time for plan B.

Logan walked down the hallway feeling so pleased with himself that he had to suppress an urge to whistle. Nothing like a little pain and suffering in the morning especially when it was for a good cause. And being experienced by someone else. The kids had thought that they were going to jog around the track, but after timing them on a mile run he had lead them out into the woods along a path that he had marked out. After all when you were chasing or being chased by bad guys they usually didn't let you run around a nice asphalt oval. So he had taken care to find the muddiest, most broken terrain available for their little cross country trek and then lead them off at faster pace then they really wanted to go. Thirty minutes and four miles later he stood by the finish line as his students staggered out the woods more then a little mud splashed on their sweats. Drake was first to finish which was no surprise to Logan as he carried himself like a natural athlete. What did surprise him was Rogue and her roommate chugging along close behind and the way they raced each other the last two hundred yards with Lee barely finishing ahead. The fact that they pushed each other was something he could use. Bringing up the rear was Pete and a much worse for wear Kitty who had a slight limp and looked like she had been mud wrestling. Telling them to get to breakfast he turned and to their amazement sped off into the woods to run the course again Allowing himself a small smile as he remembered the look on their faces he was caught by surprise when Xavier's voice echoed in his head.

"**Logan would you please stop by my office so I can introduce you to our new staff...the ones you were supposed to meet yesterday evening.**"

Logan growled low in his throat. God he hated when Xavier did that. **"Damn it Chuck I got enough voices inside my head without you addin ta the commotion. Can't this wait until later?"**

"**Please Logan it will not take long** **and it is important. One of them would like to contribute her skills to your training program and I thought now would be a good time to discuss this."**

That thought put Logan on his guard and with a shake of his head he turned and stalked back to Xavier's office still dropping with sweat from his run. To his own senses he was more than a little ripe and if he had to live with the smell then they could to.

Entering Xavier's office he took in the two new faces. Actually one since he had talked to Hank McCoy the other day at Jean's memorial. Not that Hank wouldn't have stood out in any event since he topped six foot six and was covered from head to toe in blue fur. With a start he realized that the woman had also been there. While he didn't remember meeting her he recognized the scent. Standing next to McCoy she looked like a kid. Maybe an inch taller than Jubilee with long brown hair. She carried herself like an athlete and he suspected that her thin frame was well muscled under the baggy blouse and long skirt. Returning the intense look he gave her she did something that threw him completely off balance. She smiled. At him. What the hell? He was used to a lot of other expressions, frowns, lust, and more usually open naked fear. Her eyes took in his sweat stained track suit and bare feet and the smile became a goofy grin. Xavier took in his appearance with a raised eyebrow.

"My apologies Logan, I had forgotten your early morning run. I trust the students enjoyed themselves."

Despite the irritation he was feeling Logan couldn't help but smirk. "Well Chuck I'm sure they had a good time cursing me out. As for the run...well lets just say they all made it back in one piece."

Xavier of course never batted an eye. "Quite so. I just wanted to introduce you to our new staff. I believe you already know Henry. He will be serving as our doctor as well as teaching math and advanced science. This is Janet Phillips. Ms. Phillips has extensive expertise helping people who have been through traumatic experiences. She will be serving as student counselor and will be teaching a new course that will be offered to the highschool age girls."

McCoy stuck out a paw the size of a canned ham and engulfed Logans hand. Trying not to flinch at the sudden invasion of his space Logan shook hands with the fellow feral. People around here liked to shake hands too damn much as far as he was concerned. Sure enough as soon as he let go of McCoy the woman stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Logan. I see I'm not the only one who likes to run barefoot. Charles was telling Hank and I that your going to be helping out with the self-defense class."

Logan did another double take. Nobody ever says "nice to meet you" to him. "Just make it Logan darlin. That's what Chuck likes ta call it. The last thing the kids need ta learn is self-defense. What they need ta know is how ta fight and survive."

Hank McCoy shook his massive head. He had been stunned to hear what had happen at the school barely a week ago and had gladly agreed to help Xavier for how ever long he was needed. When Xavier told him of his plans to train his senior students so they could join the team upon graduation he had been shocked. Charles had always been so optimistic when it came to the future. Hank couldn't help but feel that much of that optimism had died with Jean. Meeting the man Charles had selected to help in the students training only confirmed what had been apparent since he had returned two days ago. Xavier wasn't just training future X-Men, he was building up his forces with an eye to the future. A future that looked very bleak indeed. "Professor Xavier has asked me to prepare physiological exercise programs for your students . Would I be right to assume that they had the average habits of the typical American teenager."

At Logan's confused expression Janet smirked. "English Hank. Logan he wants to know if the kids have to start from scratch with regards to weight training"

Still glaring at Hank Logan answered. "Pete wouldn't start from scratch, the boy worked on a farm in Russia and they treated him like a plow horse. Beside both him and Drake need a program that makes em more flexible, so we might wanna teach em some yoga. The girls need muscle and we'll have to be careful with the half-pint...er a Kitty cause she's gonna need more work then Rogue or Jubilee."

"Very well then, I will prepare a schedule of training for them that I will post in the weight room. As for the yoga I am afraid that such skills are outside my area of expertise. Perhaps we might approach Ororo for her assistance, as I remember that she has been a practitioner of this discipline for a number of years."

Logan eyed the blue mutant suspiciously. Must be some kind of weird secondary mutation. "I'll make sure they know about it when I see em after lunch. Are we done here Chuck, cause I need ta grab somethin ta eat."

Before Xavier could answer Phillips screwed up her courage. Now or never she thought. "Logan I need a favor. I was hoping you would let me join your class until Scott came back. I couldn't help but notice that your students are not experienced enough for you to use them to demonstrate technique. So I thought you might be able to use me instead."

By the look Logan gave her she wondered if she had grown another head. "Let me get this straight darlin. You want to be my crash test dummy as a ...favor? What the hell did Chuck tell ya the kids were gonna learn, ball room dancin?"

"Please Logan just...let me explain. First of all I really can help you. I teach martial arts classes for people with even less experience than your students so this isn't anything new for me. I know that It's going to be different because their mutants but they need to learn the basics first and I'm really good at that."

"I'm still not gettin why me lettin you do this would be a favor?"

"Well that's a little complicated. Charles asked me to come here because of my experience in helping people who have suffered abuse. The number of young people who come here having been traumatized as well as the severity of the abuse has increased to the point where he no longer felt it was something that he could deal with alone. Once he explained his problem I told him that I would be glad to help him in anyway and he offered me the position as school counselor. After I arrived and we talked about some of the problems the kids have as well as the recent attack I realized there was something that we hadn't thought through."

Logan looked at her then Xavier. "Ya there's a big problem with yer little plan. Yer human. How the hell did you think you could do this? These kids have been fucked six ways ta Sunday by humans and you think ya can just stroll in here and they'll trust ya?"

After a few seconds of awkward silence Xavier responded. "Please Logan calm yourself. If you want to blame someone for this Janet is not the person. She did bring this up when we first talked on the phone about the position but I assured her that it was a problem that could be overcome. I believed that if the students saw her as someone I trusted that they would overlook the fact that she is not one of us. After introducing Henry and Janet at dinner last night we approached several of the senior students so that we could make appointments to have them come in and talk. Rogue and Jubilee refused to say anything and left despite my request that they meet with us at least once. While the others eventually agreed to a meeting only Robert did so with any enthusiasm."

"Well what a fucking surprise. Ya know Chuck if ya had bothered ta ask me I could a told ya what Rogue would do. Don't tell me ya forgot who she has inside that noggin of hers. Besides that this is somethin ya needed ta talk with em about before ya even made a decision. Here ya are tellin em that their adult enough ta start layin their lives on the line and then ya turn around and act like their kids and you're the principle."

By this point Phillips was totally confused. "Charles what is he talking about? Is Rogue suffering from some kind of multiple personality disorder?"

"In a manner of speaking yes. Rogue's mutant gift is one of the most damaging that I have ever encountered. Whenever she comes into direct contact with another person's skin she directly absorbs their life force along with the individuals personality and memory. When she comes into contact with another mutant she also borrows their gifts whatever those are. Shortly after her arrival here she was seized by Eric so that he could use her to power a machine that he believed would mutate humans. Within a very short space of time she was forced to absorb both Eric so that through her he could power this device and another mutant who allowed her to borrow his healing ability in order to save her life. After she recovered Rogue allowed me to help her remove Eric from her mind but refused to do more then segregate certain memories of the other person. While her core personality has always remained dominate there is no doubt that she has been profoundly effected by the other consciousness that lives within her."

As Janet listened to Xavier describe Rogue's gift and it's devastating effects she couldn't help but reflect on the horrible irony of the term he used for a person's mutation. Suddenly she realized the identity of the other resident in Rogue's head. She started at Logan eyes wide with shock. "You're the one that she absorbed, the one who saved her life"

"Got it in one darlin. I was damn glad I could do it at the time, but I sure as hell can't understand why she wants ta keep me up there."

Xavier wondered how someone so perceptive about all that went on around him could be so willfully stupid when it came to his own self worth. "Think about Logan. Rogue's parents threw her out of their home right after she manifested. She was rejected by the very people she thought would love her no matter what. You proved that she still had value as a person in the most tangible way possible. Any time she has doubts about herself she has the you inside her head to remind her that at least one person in this world would do anything to keep her safe."

"Wait a minute..if she has your personality to draw on why doesn't she trust us? After all you're here at the school working for..."

"I don't fucking work for Xavier and I'm sure as hell not staying here any longer than I have ta. It's not that I don't trust Chuck now but back then...well let's just say when Rogue absorbed me I wasn't much into trustin anyone. There's only one reason I went on that mission. I made her a promise and I wasn't gonna let that fucking Magneto break it for me. If she's drawin off me then ya got your work cut out for ya." Looking at Phillips he wore the expression of a man trying hard not to scratch an inch. "So will someone tell me what the hell all this has got ta do with you helping me teach em how ta fight?"

"What I'm hoping is that if you let me work with them as part of their training I can get to know them and build some trust. If the seniors come to trust me then the younger students will be easier to approach. I know that there are kids here that I can help, but I can't do anything until I have their trust. I'm not asking you to put in a good word for me and I certainly won't try and use Charles as leverage. Your right about that, they need to make the choice on their own. Just give me a chance to work with them for a few weeks. Besides your working with teenagers. You really need all the help you can get."

Logan really didn't get how she thought she could help them. He knew first hand what kind of pain a lot of these kids suffered and he didn't believe it was something another person could help you with. Some things you just had to deal with the best way you could and move on. Then again he wasn't exactly the poster boy for dealing. And what about Marie. He was sure that it wasn't just his anger she was feeling and if anyone had a right to it she did. Was it something she could deal with on her own? He didn't think so and he'd be damned if he could think of how to help her. Shit. "Ok darlin we'll give it a try. Here's what we do. I talk with em before the session this afternoon. I'm pretty sure they'll give me some slack here but it's gotta be their choice. If I do things ya don't agree with ya talk ta me when were alone. Meet me in the Danger room an hour before we start. I wanna spar with ya and seen what ya got."

She rolled her eyes in mock offence. "You know I have a name Logan...I wish you would use it. I'll be there at one. I'd like to see what you got to.

Logan just turned and walked to the door. As he left Xavier's office she heard his voice barely more than a whisper. "I'm sure ya do darlin."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**a/n: This took a little longer than I wanted. Combination of real life (my job as a book** **store manager and Harry Potter) and quite a bit of difficulty getting this chapter where I wanted it to go. Thanks for the help RiannaonUK. I did need to do more to sell the Logan Hank interaction. Your right about my contraction confusion although I think this has more to do with the difficulty I have proofing** **my own writing. Thank you Dee for your offer. I think I'd like to bounce some stuff off you from time to time and see what you think.** **I may have tried to do too much with this chapter. As always let me know that you think.**

**Disclaimer: They belong to Marvel and Fox. **

Sitting in the observation booth of the Danger Room Logan struggled with the keyboard as he typed in the commands that would bring up recordings of his last three sessions. It was after his first visit here three days ago that he began to remember things. He had discovered that at one point in his life he learned to fight with a sword. And do it very well. Then over the last few days new memories surfaced. Just not the things that he had been searching for the last sixteen years. Like his real name. Or where and when he was born. No it couldn't be anything as simple as that. Nothing about who he was, just more things that he had learned in the course of his long life. More ways to kill people. At first he had been certain that these kind of skills must have been programmed into his mind by the same fuckers that had given him claws. After all they just wouldn't want him to slice up all their targets. Had to have a little variety. As he studied the recordings it was like watching a movie of someone he didn't know. First of all this guy didn't fight like him. The snarl was still there in the twisted expression on his face and the mikes picked up an occasional growl, but the tendency to lose himself completely in his rage wasn't there. In place of the wild frenzy of swings that used his metal covered fists as battering rams there were kicks, straight punches and the kind of footwork he expected to see in a Fred Astaire movie. Something was off about what he was seeing and not just the fact that he didn't remember ever fighting like this. It took awhile but Logan finally realized why. No one was hitting him. At first he thought it was some flaw in the programming (leave it to Summers to program a fight simulation where you couldn't get hit) but when he made himself stand still he found that for holographic images they packed quite a punch. He had spent an entire night studying the tapes before he had the answer. Freezing the recording he saw himself moving to block a punch as it was being thrown. Thinking back he remembered the shift in the attacker's right shoulder had tipped him that it was coming and allowed him to counter. Fast forwarding Logan paused at another point in the session and saw more of the same. Integrating his enhanced senses into his fighting technique was something that he had only done on the most basic of levels. This was all that and more. It was as if someone had hardwired into his brain knowledge to recognize and counter every move an attacker could make. When he had gone to Xavier with the latest evidence of what kind of monster he was the old bastard had just smiled.

"Logan why do you always react to good news in such a manner. We already had this discussion once before and I have no wish to revisit the topic. I suggest you study the tapes throughly, there is no telling what answers you might find."

Thinking back on Xavier's answer Logan wondered if Chuck had a way to see what was going on when he was down here. Not feeling hungry he had come down to kill some time before his sparing session with Phillips. He wanted to study those tapes again. Running one at quarter speed he noticed something odd. It was of his first session after he had "discovered" that he could use a sword. He remembered that feeling of being disconnected from himself, almost like he was watching someone else perform in his body. The kicks, blocks, and punches were from a fighting style that he had no memory of ever using before but was obviously oriental in origin and deadly in effect. There... that was what he was looking for. He remembered that the first or second time he had done something unfamiliar it made him feel off balance to the point where he would stumble or lurch in the direction of the punch or kick. The next time it happened he paused the recording. The image was of him executing what he suddenly knew was a roundhouse kick. Backing up to the beginning he ran it frame by frame. His form looked pretty good (how the hell did he know...he had **never **kicked like that in the cage) until the leg began to straighten. At that point it was clear that his balance was slightly off...almost as if he weighted too much. Suddenly he knew. He did weigh too much...an extra hundred and twenty pounds in the form of metal coated bones. He must of learned to do this stuff before the adamantium, before Stryker. Trying to perform them exactly the same way caused him to become unbalanced, but after a couple of attempts he could compensate for the extra weight and the balance problem went away. This wasn't something programmed into him by the fuckers who stole his memories. Making a copy to show Xavier later he shut down the computer and headed to the gym.

Janet Phillips arrived a few minutes early. She needed something to calm her nerves so she decided to run through her Tai Chi routine before sparing with Logan. She knew that she had her work cut out for her if she was ever going to earn the students trust. Or Logans for that matter. She had observed him closely in Charles office and hadn't missed him recoil initially when Hank moved to shake his hand. Then there was the way his eyes roamed ever on the alert for ...what. She wasn't sure and had asked Hank after they left Xavier to his paperwork.

"Well Janet I cannot be sure having never had the pleasure of meeting him before but I believe the source of these anomalies on his part have a lot to do with the mutation we have in common." He had gone on to explain the traits both men shared such as heightened senses as well as the animal nature that many ferals found difficult to control.

"Sorry Hank but that can't be it. After all I've know you for years and you don't act anything like that man does. From what I could see it almost looked like he was expecting to be attacked."

"Janet by the time we were introduced I had achieved a certain degree of mastery over the more unpleasant aspects of my mutation. Of course further experimentation on my part later reversed this to a minor extent. My observation of Logan leads me to believe that both his senses and his feral other are stronger in him than they ever were in me. I very much doubt that with such strong instincts he will ever be able to establish more than a precarious equilibrium in his struggle to control the animal within."

Great. She was going to be sparing with a man who had difficulty controlling his anger. Then again she already knew that piece of information. Shaking her head to clear her mind Janet took a deep breath to center herself and began her routine. As she moved smoothly through the postures of her form her spirit calmed and concentration sharpened. She had practiced the moving meditation of Tai Chi for over ten years and the discipline had become an important part of her life helping her to achieve peace and distance when the sorrows of her work threatened to overwhelm her. Her interest had started as an outgrowth of her martial arts training but she did both for entirely different reasons. So great was her focus when running through the routine that she didn't realize she had an audience until coming to the end of her form. Turning her head she saw Logan standing just inside the doorway standing still as a statue staring at her unblinking.

She took a cautious step toward him and waved a hand in front of his face. Nothing. She called out softly. "Logan...are you alright?"

That seemed to bring him out of it. Shaking his head he looked at her and then rolled his shoulders. "What the...what were ya doin there darlin?"

"I was just going through my Tai Chi routine. What's up Logan? You looked really out of it there."

Logan ran his hands thought his wild hair. What could he say? That the sight of her, or in truth the sight of what she was doing had stopped him in his tracks. For a moment he thought that it was some kind of attraction that he felt for her. No denying that Janet was easy on the eyes but it wasn't that. It's not how she looked but what she was doing that made his heart almost skip a beat and stilled his restless spirit. Struggling to find voice to his desire he tried to answer. "Darlin...Janet could ya just do what ya were doin again? I'd really appreciate it."

Janet was more than a little worried over how Logan was acting. He was behaving like someone who had just come out of a deep hypnotic trance. Reassuring herself that he seemed calm if some what confused she decided that despite the strangeness of the request she would comply without further question. Those she would leave for later. Assuming her beginning stance she struggled a bit to relax and started repeating her form. Progressing through her postures she almost tripped when Logan suddenly moved and began to match her, slow and clumsy at first but quickly smoothing out his movements and following her exactly without the hesitation of someone who needs to see the posture before repeating it on his own. God he was beautiful. His movements flowing together so smoothly she had to remind herself that ten minutes ago he hadn't even been able to give a name to what they were doing. What the hell was this all about? He seemed to be suffering from some kind of memory disorder. Damn it she thought Charles must know that Logan had these kinds of problems. She wondered if the Professor would ever get around to telling her what they were.

Once again Logan felt like someone else had been moving in his body. Just like the sword fighting. Just like his other three bouts in the Danger Room. But for the first time he seemed to have acquired something from his past that he actually had a use for. Something that he couldn't hurt others with. He felt a calm that was different from anything he could remember as if the animal within had retreated to a far corner of his mind. Somehow he didn't think he had to worry that Stryker had taught him this skill. Looking at Phillips he realized he had a problem. She looked confused and smelled more than a little bit worried. She would want to talk and the last thing he wanted right now was to explain his little problem to someone he barely knew. After all is wasn't like he knew what the hell was going on himself.

"Thanks for the lesson darlin but we got fifteen minutes before the kids get here and I really need ta see what ya got."

"Like hell Logan. What was that all about? How many years have you been doing Tai Chi? You didn't even know what it was called before I told you and ten minutes later your going through your forms like a master. Damn it I need to know what's going on here."

"Phillips as far as I'm concerned ya don't need ta know anything. I'm fine now and I ain't in the mood ta talk about it and if ya don't like it that's too bad. Here put these on." He handed her padded gloves and boots and put the other set on. "We don't have much time so I just want ya ta come at me as hard as ya can. Don't worry about hurtin me and don't hold back. Ya ready?"

"Ok Logan I'll keep my mouth shut...for now. But this isn't over. What just happened is not normal and your not fine."

They faced each other knees slightly bent both balanced on the balls of their feet. Janet quickly executed a series of kicks to the head but Logan used his forearms to block each one. She came at him again but this time he lashed out with his left hand, she blocked and caught him in the ribs scoring with a side kick...wow that felt solid. His hand snaked out grabbing her ankle and he twisted to the right, she lost balance but managed to kick out as she fell and broke his grip. Falling she rolled scrambling to her feet as he moved in and scored with two taps to the head. As she tried a leg sweep he caught her foot and yanked then quickly let go scoring again when he used the same hand to strike out. She realized that despite the difference in size that he was much quicker than she was. He was moving into her again so she waited and scored with a side kick to his stomach and a quick follow up to his right knee. Logan countered by taking her down with a sweep of his left leg. Again she rolled to her feet and tried to get past his defenses using a series of left right combinations none of which got through. The advantage he had in length of reach allowed him to continue holding her off while he could score at will with jabs. After about five minutes of this she began to realize that while she was breathing hard Logan seem as fresh as ever. Damn it that wasn't fair. She would have to get closer if she was going to get to him at all. Blocking a left jab she stepped inside his arm and snapped off a roundhouse with her right leg. Logan quickly blocked with his left and used the other arm to trap the leg while the left hand lash out. Instead of scoring he grabbed her shoulder and twisted and suddenly Janet was on her back.

"God damn it...are you sure you can't turn off that mutation of yours?"

Logan smirked and reached down to help her up. "Sorry darlin...that would be no. Ya pack a pretty good punch...I think this is gonna work out just fine."

She looked at him rubbing her right hand. She had caught him once on the chin with a palm strike a little harder then she had wanted.. Her hand felt like it hit a brick wall. "Thanks Logan...sorry about the chin...you sure have a hard head."

Logan frowned turning away. Damn it he should have worn the head gear. He knew that Janet needed to know about his...enhancements... if she was going to spar with him safely but he just didn't feel like looking at another horrified face right now. "You ok darlin?" She nodded so he went on. "Ok let's get the other gear out and we'll get set up. When the kids come in I want ta talk for a few minutes before we start. Rogue and Jubes aren't gonna be too happy ta see you so just play it cool. I think I got a way ta convince em that having you here will be a good idea."

Logan watched as Drake and Marie entered the gym. Peter and the half-pint had already arrived and were sitting off to his left on the mat. He could tell the moment she spotted Janet. Her eyes narrowed and the smile she wore was instantly gone. Shrugging off Bobby's hand from her shoulder she stalked toward him one pissed off Southern belle. "Logan just what the hell..." He cut her off with a hard stare and motioned for her to sit by the others. For a second she glanced at the door and he thought she'd just go, but instead she gave him a venomous glare and plopped down next to Kitty. He walked over to her and before she could lay into him he looked into her eyes with his hands in front of him palms out.

"Relax darlin...before ya go off on me just give me a chance ta explain...ta all of ya. I know ya don't like surprises but I got a good reason for this one."

"Damn it Logan what is she doin here? Ah'm sick of seein her every where Ah go." Marie looked at Janet who was doing some stretching at the other end of the gym. "Did Xavier put ya up ta this? Ah don't care what he wants, Ah got nothin ta say ta her."

"Hey kid that's fine by me. Look just wait until everybody's here and I'll tell ya what's goin on. Where the hell is your roommate. She still sleepin off our run?"

Rogue just smirked at him. "She said she'd be right down. Ah think she was havin a problem deciding what ta wear."

Logan just shook his head. Teenagers. At least the rest of them just wore the usual shorts and tee shirts. Except Marie. Poor kid has to cover herself head to toe. Maybe he should have...Shit! Logan just stared as Jubilation Lee sauntered in wearing a black sports bra and a pair of black skin tight biker shorts. She just looked at him and smiled. She was giving him an eyeful and enjoying every minute of it. Who the hell taught her to smile like that? Then he noticed it, the scent that was coming off her. He was pretty familiar with that particular smell. Mentally he groaned not knowing if he should...what the hell was he going to do. The last thing he need right now was Marie's friend trying to jump in the sack with him. He knew that Jubilee had gone through a lot in her short life and not much of it was good. He also knew just by looking that she was on the verge of becoming a beautiful woman. Just not quite legal. Not that he cared much about legalities but he had gotten to know the kid and she like Marie had somehow gotten past the "I don't give a shit" feelings he had for everyone else. So he was going to have handle her with a little tact. That being the case he knew that the first that entered his mind, "Put some fucking clothes on"; was not the way to go. So was the vague thought that floated around in his head that he won't mind seeing her with nothing on at all. Not that being naked would have been much different from what she had on now. Fuck he thought my life was a lot simpler before I came here.

The way he had looked at her when she walked through that door. For a second she knew what it was like to be prey. That's not what she wanted. This time Jubilee was going to be the hunter. Wolvie just didn't know it yet. The first time she had seen Logan's perfect body in action she knew she wanted him. At first she was shocked and more then a little frightened by the intensity of her feelings. Both the Professor and Ororo and told her repeatedly that she had done amazingly well overcoming the horrible things that had happened to her. She wasn't so sure. It just wasn't normal for a seventeen year old girl to not be interested in sex. Of any kind. Men or women. So why Logan. Really she had no idea. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen a hot male body before. So ok she had never seen a body like his, but it had to be more then his incredible chest. Right now what was important was that she wanted someone and she was going to do something about it. Right now she had a little problem. What she wanted was walking right over to stand in front of her with another look on his face. Not the "holy shit what is she wearing" look. No this was his more usual "I'm pissed as hell" look.

Logan stood right in front of her glad to see that she wasn't smiling like that any more. He couldn't remember ever telling a woman to put on more clothes. Oh yea...another one of those weird moments he's been having ever since he came here. "Nice outfit ya got there kid, but I'm not sure it's what ya want ta be wearing right now."

"Why not Wolvie? Ya know I wear this when I'm doin my gymnastic routines. It's not like I'm going topless...unlike a certain someone who feels the need to yank his shirt off every time he has an audience."

God damn it...her doing gymnastics wearing that. What the hell had he ever done to deserve this. "Look kid the first time someone throws ya down on these mats yer gonna lose half your skin. Listen up everyone. You need ta wear something that will keep ya from getting a case of road rash when ya hit the mats. Pete there's sweat pants and tee shirts in those drawers. Get some for everyone that needs em."

Jubilee just pouted and stuck out her tongue. In reality she was glad for the chance to cover up. If she stayed like his Rogue wouldn't be happy. After all she had gotten Logan's attention and she didn't want to make him mad. Especially when he was giving her lessons on how to fight. He might start demonstrating moves on her. Wait a minute...wouldn't that be a good thing? Depends on the moves. Body slams no...but maybe if he pinned her to the mat and... hey what's that woman doing here? "Dude...why the hell is she here?"

Logan glared at her. "Glad ya asked kid. Janet here volunteered to help me out until Cyclops gets back. I told her that you guys would have ta be on board with this. Now I want ya to think about something. I'm gonna have ta show ya every move I want ya ta learn...repeatedly. Every fall, every kick, every throw, every punch. Just so happens that she used ta teach people self-defense." If she helps out I won't be the one ta personally demonstrate every move on ya. In fact a lot of the time I could use her ta show ya how ta do stuff. Believe me, you'll like that a lot better."

Bobby was suddenly very worried. He couldn't believe that Wolverine agree to let a human help him with something like this. He was sure that Rogue's disdain for humans was something that she had absorbed from Logan. God he wished he knew more about how Rogue's skin thing worked. Now this guy wanted to use a woman that Rogue didn't like to demonstrate fight moves. Phillips was going to end up as a bloody smear on the mat. "Mr Logan...won't that be a little dangerous...you know...for her. I mean if you throw her around and hit her...and stuff." Crap every time he talked around Logan his mouth stopped working.

"What do ya think I'm gonna be doin when it's your turn Drake? You think we can do this without sufferin a little pain?" Logan took a good look at each of them. When he was sure he had their attention he continued. " If yer gonna learn how ta do it right then yer gonna have to see everything I want ta teach and then show me that ya know how ta do it yerself. Over and over. So yea it's gonna be a little dangerous. We got pads and headgear and we'll use em when we have ta but I don't want ya ta be depending on em because ya don't get any fucking protection when ya fight the bad guys. That means yer gonna be hurtin every time ya walk out that door. If any of ya can't do that ya need ta leave now."

Rogue had to stifle the urge to laugh out loud. She didn't know which was funnier, Bobby trying to stick up for that irritating woman or Logan's little speech about how much pain he was going to inflict on them. Maybe she should just kick her boy friend. After all if Logan wanted to use Phillips as a punching bag who was he to complain. "Ah'm sure we all know ya'll enjoy beatin the crap out of us Logan. So will ya quit feedin us all this bullshit about how tough it's gonna be and lets get to it. Ya promised ta teach me how ta kick ass and Ah'm ready ta start."

An hour later all Marie could think was...ouch. Logan was in the process of teaching them how to fall correctly. That damn woman made it look so easy. No matter how hard he flipped her she would just land with a roll, slap the matt and bounce right up. When it was her turn she tried to do the same thing and for the most part she succeeded, but not quite the same way. The first time he threw her she landed (on her ass) slapped the mat (with her head) and then bounced (several times). After a while it got better, mainly because it was Kitty's turn to land on her ass. At least she didn't bounce...just kind of laid there and whimpered. Next came Jubilee and by the look on her face when Logan walked up to her you would have thought it was foreplay and not fighting he was teaching. Only with Jubes there was no ass landing. Instead she curled into a ball as she hit the mat and bounced up like it was nothing. The first time Marine shouted encouragement to her friend and Logan looked almost...disappointed. Now it was really pissing her off. She felt like a human bruise but Jubes seemed unable even to break a damn finger nail. So far they had been taught three different ways of falling (that was so weird who knew there were so many ways to land on your ass) and while the rest of them had to be repeatedly tossed around by Logan or Phillips Jubilee had done each one right on her first try. Bobby and Pete were next so Logan made way for Phillips. This is so wrong thought Rogue, if anybody should get to throw Bobby around it should be her.

While he was doubtful that Logan wouldn't kill her Bobby had been relieved that Phillips would be the one showing him the fine art of how to be thrown around. At least he had been until the psycho woman had started in with her "lessons" on how to avoid getting hurt in a fall. Hey he was very onboard with the need to prevent unnecessary pain. What he wanted to know was why learning how to keep from getting hurt...hurt so much. Phillips made this look so easy. She and Jubes came up smiling no matter how hard Logan threw them. Well at least he was better off than Pete. The Russian tried to break his fall the first three times by using his hands. The result was a sprained wrist. Logan threatened to continue his lesson by tying Pete's hands behind his back. So the next time he kept his hands at his side...and landed on his head. Because he felt dizzy Logan held him out of the rest of the session. He was sitting off to the side talking to Kitty who for some reason wouldn't sit down next to him. Oh shit...Phillips is telling him to come over. Great. Now that Pete was down for the count she could give him her undivided attention. Was he supposed to be happy that she could spend even more time showing him the finer points of falling down? How come when every body talked about the hero business they never mentioned the humiliation?

Logan had to stifle a chuckle as the kids dragged themselves out of the gym. The last thing he told them was to be outside at six the next morning for their run. Jubilee was not happy. "Ya know dude you are so evil! Just because your named after a nocturnal weasel doesn't mean you should be allowed to drag us out of bed when it's still dark!" None of the others had the energy to do anything but groan.

Logan and Janet rolled up the extra mats and stowed away the protective gear before going to the small office in back of the gym to compare notes.

"I'm a little worried that we are being too hard on them Logan. We had to sit Pete and Kitty down and Rogue jammed her shoulder. Maybe we should ease up...after all their just kids."

"Not any more. They can't afford ta be kids when there are people out there wantin to hurt or kill em just because there genes are different. For the first few days we gotta be tough on em. Darlin we got five months ta make em be able ta fight for themselves...or for Chuck if they want to. Now I know that's not enough time, and I'm sure for the ones that do decide ta stay Summers will continue ta give em training. But I want them ta have a choice. I know Chuck wants them on the team real bad but they need ta do it because that's what they want. I told Kitty that she needed ta learn how ta fight even if she decided not ta join because there are too many people out there that know what she is and want ta hurt or kill her for it. What I'm gonna do is give her and any of the others a fighting chance no matter what they decide."

"Why are you doing this Logan? Please forgive me for saying so, but you don't exactly strike me as someone who normally goes out of his way to help anyone."

"Damn right I don't. For most of my...life I avoided getting too close to anyone. When your different ya learn pretty damn quick that if ya don't want people fucking with ya then ya better keep away from em, keep on the move. All that changed when I met Rogue. She saw what I was but right off she still trusted me. Crawled right in my trailer and when I found out she was there she wasn't scared of me at all. First thing I thought was that the kid had no sense. How the hell could she feel safe being around a bastard like me? Never had someone trust me like that and I knew it was something I just couldn't walk away from. I don't know what it is that brought us together. All I know is that I felt I just had ta do what ever I could ta help her out and keep her safe. As for the other kids...until Strykers attack I didn't really give a shit. After it happened and I figured out what he wanted ta do with them...well I can't see just letting those sick fuckers mess with em because their mutants. They ain't done nothing ta deserve that kind of treatment."

"I know Logan believe me I do. I used to work at a shelter for battered women. Every day I saw women coming in at the end of their rope, beaten and abused simply because they were unable to protect themselves. That's where I started teaching self-defense. That's where I learned what a difference it makes when someone realizes that they don't have to be a victim, that they can do something about their situation. And of course since the men who do this are cowards and bullies knowing that their victims can and will fight back usually serves as a deterrent."

"Not always darlin. Some people are just sick fucks that get off on inflicting pain. That's what were up against. Ya can't count on these people stayin away unless ya prove to em that ya mean business. I want the next group that tries ta come here hunting mutant kids ta know that there in for an ass kickin. If I'm here I can promise ya that they wouldn't be leavin this place alive."

My God she thought...he was growling. "Do you really think that will do any good Logan? You can't kill them all. I know that the students here have to learn the things we're teaching them, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I thought the whole idea of this place was so that these kids could have a chance to lead normal lives. To show the rest of the world that there's no reason to hate mutants. Once the killing starts there will be no end to it. Is that what you want for these kids?"

"I'd say the killin already has started and there's no goin back. I ain't like the others here...I ain't an X-Man. Someone threatens me and mine I'm just gonna take em out any way I can. I don't really give a shit who has to die. You wanna be on board with Chuck about how the rest of the world will accept the fact that we have the same right to live that they do go right ahead. I know what people are capable of and I sure as hell don't aim ta just sit hear and take the shit they want ta dish out." He could feel the rage within the animal straining to come out and knew he had to get out of there...get away. Standing abruptly he stalked out of the office leaving a stunned Janet Phillips open mouthed in his wake.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you RhiannonUK. I admit to a little exaggeration...I have to have a little fun. Hope your vacation is going well. Thank you also Jedi Padfoot. I am trying to move this bear along. Thank you for reading and for any comments you care to make.**

"_Kill him...and use the claws" The words echoed through his head...he snarled at the disembodied voice__ of __the one he hated above all others. The man who was slowly stripping away the last bits of his humanity. For weeks they had been running their sick tests on him. Burning him with acid or with fire. Drowning or suffocation. Bringing him as near death as possible__to see how long it took him to heal. With every test the man retreated a little further inward, escaping the pain and allowing the animal to gradually assert his dominance. Which was exactly what Stryker wanted. Now another test, how much control did the man still have? They had thrown someone_ _in the his cell, a kid who looked to be no older then fourteen. He was an obvious mutant with greenish hair and arms covered in scales. He was also shaking in fear as Logan walked toward him growling. They had done a real number on him. He was naked except for a pair of shorts, his body covered with bruises_ _blood dripping on the floor from numerous wounds. Fucking bastards he wasn't going to finish their job for them. "Fuck you Stryker I ain't gonna fucking kill for you!" He roared his voice echoing off the adamantium coated metal walls. The kids face went from scared to panic stricken. "Please_ _they told me if you didn't they would just kill me slower. I don't want to die but I can't stand the pain anymore...please." Logan felt like puking...God how he wanted to butcher them all. He couldn't do it. If he did their dirty work now where would it end? "I can't ...I'm sorry kid I really am..." He knew it was hopeless but if he couldn't kill the kid maybe he could kill some of them. Sitting down in the corner he waited. When they came he let them grab the kid, but as they started dragging him screaming from the room he moved. The first two died on his claws before anyone knew what was happening. Throwing their bodies into the others he shoved is way into the mass of them as blood spurted from the wounds he inflicted. More bodies fell and suddenly a shotgun exploded point blank right into his gut. He doubled over and then his time was up. Someone in the control room pressed the button and the collar around his neck sent ten thousands volts directly into his body. He dropped to the floor and curled into a ball. Within a few minutes he had recovered but he lay there unmoving. He laid there as Strykers voice taunted him. He laid there when the kids screams filled the air. He didn't know how long it went on. All he was sure of was it took a long fucking time for that kid to die_. _When the speaker in his cell finally fell silent the screams continued to sound in his head._

**Tuesday 4:48 A.M. ****Logan's Room**

Logan jerked awake with a roar his claws shooting out. He felt the bile rising and before he could get out of the bed he vomited spewing on the sheets. The stink of puke and his own fear assaulted his senses and another wave of nausea hit him. This time he made it to the pot. Shit...five fucking nights in a row. He had thought the one he had last night was bad. Fuckers drowned him over and over. Just thinking about it now made it difficult to breath. His lungs burning with the need for air, finally filling with water. Then blackness and puking up water as he came to...over and over. But those screams. He knew what they were capable of. How much of this had he gone through and why was he remembering it now after seventeen years. He didn't think he could take much more of it. He'd just have to break down and talk to Chuck. Maybe he could do something with his head to get the dreams to stop. He almost laughed at that. After so long obsessing over every little scrap of information about his past now he only wanted to stop remembering. In any event there was nothing Chuck could do for him until he and Ororo got back from Washington. No point in trying to sleep any more. Throwing on his running clothes he headed out into the crisp pre-dawn air.

**5:40 A.M.** **Kitty Pryde's Room**

Five days. Five days of the hell that was Logans self-defense class. Kitty Pryde stretched trying to workout some of the kinks she had developed over the past five days of fighting 101. She had thought that the class was designed for her to learn how to kick butt. So how come she had bruises all over her rear end? Still she had to admit that even though most of what she had gone through had been tough she could see the sense of it. First they were taught how to fall without hurting themselves (too much) then it was on to learning how to throw each other. The fact that Logan wasn't the only teacher was a relief to her, even if Rogue and Jubilee were less than thrilled. Kitty wasn't exactly afraid of Logan but it was nice to heave Ms. Phillips there. Kitty had never been encouraged to be physically assertive in any way while growing up in suburban Chicago. For her parents the mind and its life was all and the only achievements they thought important were academic ones. One of the reasons for her doubts about becoming part of the team was the lack of confidence she felt when it came to the idea of her fighting. While she had no doubt that Logan knew lots of stuff about how to fight she didn't think that her situation was something he was used to dealing with. So she had approached Janet after their first session and the woman had urged her not to become discouraged.

"It's a whole new way of thinking Kitty and you can't expect it to come naturally to you. I remember when I started my martial arts training I had to force myself to be aggressive. That's the biggest challenge your going to face. You may not believe it but the physical aspect of learning how to fight isn't too hard. The toughest thing for you will be developing the attitude that allows you to be willing to hurt other people, even if it's in your own defense. That just doesn't come as easily to a woman."

Kitty wasn't sure how to take that. God if there were things about the martial arts that were harder then what she was doing now she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with it. In any case just the past five days had given her a little hope that she could learn this stuff. Yesterday she had been paired off with Pete (that was great fantasy material) and she had actually managed to throw him during the course of their exercise. Logan had given her his raised eyebrow and said "That's the way to kick butt half-pint." She felt like she had aced her math final. Smiling to herself she pulled on her sweat shirt and headed out to meet the others. Hopefully it wouldn't be too muddy today.

**11:30 A.M.** **Lower Levels Xavier's**

Janet walked quickly down the metallic hallway that ran through the lower levels of Xavier's school. When Hank had given her the tour a few days ago she had been stunned. She knew that Charles was rich, but this was beyond anything she had dreamed possible. After her early morning slog through the mud with Logan and their students Hank had asked if she would come down and see him. Something he needed to talk with her about. Well at least someone wanted to have a conversation with her. Since his little blow up five days ago Logan had said exactly nothing to her outside the confines of the students training. After three days she had decided to approach Xavier. The man had been less then helpful.

"Let me assure you Janet that I am well aware of some of the...idiosyncracies that are a part of Logans behavior. They are nothing that you need worry your yourself about."

"Really Charles? Don't you think I know a victim of trauma when I see one? The memory problems, his hyper vigilance, not to mention a violent temper. Oh and the touching issues he has. I'm sorry Charles but this has got to stop. The man is in no condition to be teaching something this stressful."

"I am sorry you feel that way Janet and I will understand completely if you wish to withdraw from the class. However believe me when I tell you that I am aware of Logan's condition and the fact that he needs help. Help we can give him only if he remains with us. I asked him to do this because he is the best person for the job but also because without something useful to contribute he would not stay."

"That's all well and good Charles but you know as well as I do that he's a bomb just waiting for a reason to go off. You may think your doing what's best for him but if he snaps and hurts someone you'll have an even worse problem on your hands. My God from what Hank told me even without the trauma he has experienced he would have a hard time keeping his temper under wraps."

"Janet I am sure that under normal circumstances I would agree with what you are saying. That however is not the case. I believe in Logan. He is just getting to the point where he can admit that he wants, even needs the support of others. That is what it will take for us to be able to help him. It is especially important that you build some trust with him. After all I am well aware that it is not only my students who would benefit from your knowledge."

It was all very enlightening but she left knowing nothing more about what had happened to the man or what she could do about it. Turning left she walked by the entrance to the Danger Room and at the end of the hallway was Hank's office and lab. Peering through the open door she saw the enormous blue man dress in shorts and a huge lab coat. He waved her in and she sat in a chair facing his desk. Opening his desk drawer he pulled out a sheaf of papers.

"Thank you Janet for making time to meet with me. The Professor asked me to make the results known to you of my analysis of the mutant gifts which the members of your self defense class possess. Logan and Ororo have already been informed of these facts as will Scott upon his return. It is of course imperative that this information remains confidential. You will need to be aware of these results so that you may assist with the development of a program that will allow them to best utilize their abilities in combat. I have endeavored to provide information concerning the manner in which their powers function when such knowledge is available. In the case of Rogue and Kitty I have as yet no idea how to explain according to the laws of science how their mutation works."

"Hank...do you think it's possible for Rogue to learn how to control her power?"

"I am not sure Janet. After all there are many mutations for which there is no off switch. In any event real progress in that area may become a reality once we have a better understanding of her mutation."

"God I hope you can figure out something. You know how much she wants to be an X-Man. Logan told her he won't agree to her being on the team unless she has some control."

"Actually I think you may have misunderstood. He and I had a extensive conversation about this very thing and what he wants is for her to be able to control the effect it has in her, especially regarding the absorption of another personality. Charles is much more hopeful that he will be able to help her with that."

And of course since the man isn't talking to me I missed that little detail she thought to herself. As to the reason why she was so unhappy with Logan's lack of communication she didn't care to think about. Reading through the documents he had given her something caught her eye. "Hank I don't understand. The report for Jubilee and Peter has nothing on it about the limits of their gifts"

"In the case of Peter that is because I have no facilities available to ascertain what his are. He is able to lift the heaviest weight I could program the Danger Room to produce which was...oh yes here it is ...twenty tons. In the case of Ms. Lee things are a bit more complicated. As you know her gift is the ability to produce and manipulate plasma. She seems to use ambient radiation as the energy source she needs to fuel her mutation."

"Is there a limit to what she can absorb? My God Hank how much does she need to fuel her powers? I mean could she end up having to spontaneously discharge plasma if her radiation level is too high?"

"There is no need to be alarmed Janet. It is not the availability of radioactivity that is the deciding factor. Rather it is the strength or intensity of the radiation that determiners the potency of Jubilee's plasma blasts. Even with the very low strength of natural radiation that her body has available to use at present she can deliver some impressive explosive effects. If however she had a more powerful radioactive source to augment that which is already available. My research so far leads me to the conclusion that the increase in her power would be exponential. My difficulty in finding her limit is that I need a more potent source of radiation to expose her to than I have access to at this time."

"Are you crazy Hank? Isn't that...I mean it sounds dangerous Hank. Even if it feeds her mutation wouldn't exposure cause her long term health problems?"

"Actually her mutation seems to render her immune to the effects of radioactivity. In any case unless Charles is willing to finance a much stronger structure then the one that currently houses the Danger Room it would be advisable to proceed cautiously. Janet I think it would be prudent for you to speak with Logan about what kind of training the students should receive."

Great. Talking with Logan would be good...but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon. "I'll see what we can do Hank. In any case we'll be pretty busy for the next few weeks just working on basic martial arts training. Hopefully when Scott..." The phone in Hanks office started ringing. Janet was relieved. At least she wouldn't have to babble on about why it wasn't a good time to talk to Logan.

Hank was not happy. While he was sure Xavier meant well by leaving him "in charge" while he was in Washington he could have done without all the distractions from his work. He had especially come to loath the sound of the phone ringing during the two days that Charles had been gone. How many people had the man given his private number to? "Hello...no this isn't Professor Xavier. He is out of town until Thursday. Well I am very sorry about that but...well any information you have for him can be entrusted to...there is no need to be rude. Very well...no I do not think there will be any...no we will wish to meet you there...oh very well we will meet some one there. I am sorry but I find this to be just a little ridiculous. I do not see why you cannot simply fax me the...as you wish. Four P.M. at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Forty-first Street in Sunset Park. If that is all...I do not understand...oh of course...the person you will be meeting will be wearing a black leather jacket and smoking a cigar. Very well we will...alright...good bye then and thank you." Hank gently set down the phone and then turned to look at Janet.

"Do you know where Logan is?" When she shook her head he just frowned and rubbed his forehead. "Janet we have a problem. Please find him and meet me in Charles office in ten minutes"

**12:03 P.M**.** Xavier's Office**

"So yer sayin that these are the same jerks that sent someone ta spy on us but we believe em any way? I don't like it one bit Hank. This smells like a setup ta me. Have ya been able ta talk ta Chuck?"

"I am sorry Logan but Charles is unavailable. He is not in the habit of answering his cell when in the act of lobbying United States senators. I realize that you do not have a good opinion of them but I happen to know that SHIELD has given Charles some very valuable information in the past. The caller claimed that they were aware of at least one mutant who's life might be in danger. While I do not understand why they wish to pass their intelligence on to us in this manner I do feel it is something we have to act on."

"Don't want no one ta know they're talkin to us. This way they don't leave a paper trail and they can always claim the one that's meeting us was actin on their own. You can bet they checked for phone taps before they called. Either that or it's a trap. I just don't like flyin blind Hank. You say Chuck trusts em but I bet not too far. So we got a mutant kid on the run some where in New York City. According to our buddies from SHIELD there's a bunch of those Friends of Humanity pricks after her. Unless they got real good information I'd say the hard part is getting to her first. Shit we need more people Hank."

"The informant will have a description so that will be of some assistance. I cannot disagree with you Logan but we will have to do what we can. Janet I would appreciate it very much if you would stay here while Logan and I go into the city."

Janet had been listening quietly to the exchange between Logan and Hank. She had expected a lot more fire works from Logan and was surprised at how calmly he had acted so far. She wasn't surprised at all about what Hank was proposing even if there was no way she would agree to it. "Actually Hank that's not going to happen. If you think about it the smart thing would be for you to stay and Logan and I to go. That is unless you found a way to hide that fact that your covered in blue fur. Then there's the fact that you guys won't exactly inspire trust in the mind of a scared to death teenage girl." She looked at Logan and was happy to see the scowl on his face. It was a lot better than the indifference she had put up with.

"Yer nuts Phillips. Do ya know what these shits are like? If ya don't want ta watch the kids just say so but there's no way yer going with us."

"You know I'm right Logan. I'm sorry but this poor girl is going to take one look at you and run for her life. Besides Hank isn't going to be able to help with the search until it's dark enough to hide his appearance. You need me Logan even if you can't set aside your male ego to admit it."

Hank shook his head. "We are wasting time. Janet I am forced to agree that we will need your help. However I think it would be best if all three of us went. Perhaps Logan could prevail upon your students to stand guard over the school until the Professor and Storm return. Please talk to them while I equip the van for our departure."

Shit McCoy was right. Didn't mean he had to like it. "Come on Phillips...yer with me." Grabbing her hand he hauled her out the door.

**12:35 P.M. Lower Levels Gym**

"So yer all clear on what ta do?" Nods all around. " If any thing happens that yer not sure about just call Hank on the cell. No one gets through those gates until Chuck gets back. I know this ain't the best time for this but it should only be a few hours. Pete take Kitty and Jubes upstairs. Have Janet here show ya how to use the security monitors. I know we already went over it but it can't hurt ta do it again. Rogue and Drake with me."

Logan quicky led them into the small office at the back of the gym. Using a key he opened a metal locker and pulled out three large handguns complete with shoulder holsters. He handed one each to Rogue and Bobby.

"This is a Glock 20. It's a 10 millimeter automatic that packs as much punch as a magnum revolver but fires faster and has 15 rounds per magazine. There's four magazines for each pistol. The red one is special. The bullets are solid Teflon...not just jacketed. The only reason you're gonna need them is if Mags shows his ugly face. If he does you'll only have one chance so make it count. Otherwise stick with the regular bullets."

Bobby's eyes were almost popping out of his head. "Are you crazy? I can't use one of these things."

"Can't or won't? Damn it Drake I asked you because ya told me ya used ta hunt with yer old man. I know Rogue can do it because she has me in her head. I'm not tellin ya to go out in the street and start shooting people at random. The only way yer gonna need them is if someone comes here lookin for trouble. Ya don't even have ta do it to protect yourself, but I expect ya ta do whatever it takes ta keep the rest of the kids here safe."

"I'm not a killer Logan. Why can't we just use our gifts if we have to fight? I mean what are the odds that anyone will even bother us."

Rogue was struggling to control her temper.. "It's called self defense Bobby. Stop whinin to Logan and use your fuckin head. The guns are just in case. Cause unless your gift has changed since Ah last used it we both know that it ain't worth a damn if Magneto shows up. Bobby please...Ah don't want to do this without ya. Ah gotta know Ah can count on ya if somethin happens."

"OK...ok...it's not like I don't know what that asshole would do if he came here. I guess I just thought...I mean you just caught me by surprise. Rogue you know that I'd do anything to protect you and the others. I'll do what I have to. I just hope that won't involve using this."

Logan wasn't sure if Drake was ok, but he didn't have anymore time left. He took a long look at Rogue. "Remember darlin the bullets aren't made of metal but the gun is. If ya gotta use this on Mags aim for the head. Sorry to put all this on ya and I sure as hell hope that you don't need to use this. Chuck and Ororo should be back in a few hours." He then turned to Bobby. "I know you don't much care for me Drake, and I can understand that being the asshole that I am. You also should know that I wouldn't trust just anybody to watch Rogue's back while I'm away. I know that I can count on you to keep her safe." As he turned to walk out of the office Rogue called out to him.

"Don't worry about us Logan we'll be fine. Just make sure and keep yourself safe or Ah'll have to kick yer ass."

Logan quickly made is way to the garage where Janet and Hank were loading the last of the equipment. It was decided that he would take the motorcycle while they traveled in the van. While Hank secured everything he took her aside and handed her the Glock. Surprised she made to push it away.

"Sorry darlin if ya don't take it ya don't go. I sure as hell hope ya know how ta use it."

"As a matter of fact I do. My God it's a cannon. I had to carry one for a while because of threats at the shelter but nothing like this. Look Logan I know your not happy about me going with you or with me in general. I don't know what I did to make you upset with me..."

"Hold it right there darlin. You didn't do a damn thing. If fact you been real good about given me some space. I knew I was a jerk the other day and I knew you had questions about how I was actin that I didn't feel like answering. Still don't."

"You don't have to tell me anything Logan. I guess I just assumed that since you haven't said anything to me outside of the class that you were angry with me for some reason. Why don't we just forget it ok. Just remember that I can't read your mind unlike some people and that I don't know you well enough to know if I did something to make you mad or that it's just you being a jerk."

"OK darlin ya got a deal. And don't worry. One thing ya can count on is that I'm pretty much a jerk all the time. Just ask Summers if ya don't believe me."

Twenty minutes later Rogue and Jubilee watched Logan roar down the driveway and through the school gate. Hank and Phillips had left ten minutes ago. Marine was having a hard time because of her nagging fear that whenever Logan left there was a chance he would decide not to come back. Jubilee was upset for entirely different reasons, ones that Rogue was just a little tired of hearing about. When her friend began to talk Rogue just cut her off.

"Ah don't want ta hear it Jubes. Not now. We got more important things to worry about."

"Whoa there Chica. Give me some credit girl. I may be selfish and shallow but even I know that we have bigger worries than my sex life. By the way I am so jealous of the hardware. Who knew that guns looked so good on a girl."

Marie didn't know whether to laugh or scream. Funny how Jubilee had that effect on her. When she had confided in her two nights ago about her plans to maneuver herself into Logans bed while Storm and the Professor were gone she had felt a surge of something that felt very much like jealousy. And that bothered her even more than the image she now had in her head of Logan and her friend together. Too much fucking drama. Maybe it was time to have this out with her. She took a deep breath and hoped their friendship would survive.

"Jubes Ah just don't understand what's up with you? Ah mean how is having sex with Logan gonna be anything different then what you went though before ya came her. Ah know your too smart to believe it will mean more to him than just fucking."

Jubilee went stiff her face becoming a mask. "I'm counting on that babe. No hearts and flowers shit for this girl. And I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain to you how just looking at him makes me horny. That's some thing I never felt since...well you know like never." She turned her back on Rogue and when she spoke her voice was almost too soft to hear. "I just want to know what it's like when it's something that you want...when it's something you get a choice in...something that you enjoy. I want that Rougey and I think that I could have it with Logan even if it's only a one time thing. Like you said I'm not stupid. I don't want you mad at me girl but I feel like this is something I have to try."

Marie put her gloved hand on Jubilee's shoulder and gently turned her so they were face to face. "Oh Jubes Ah'm just worried for ya. You and Logan are two of the most important people in my life and Ah just don't want ta see somethin bad happen. Ah'm not sure this is the best idea for either one of ya. Ah know ya don't want to hear this but Ah really think ya need to talk to him. Please just...just think about talkin before ya try anything."

"I guess...I mean talking couldn't hurt right? Though Wolvie doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who likes having a heart to heart. Come on girl we better be getting back before the snowball wonders where you got to." As they walked back up the driveway to the mansion Rogue wondered just how much talking Jubilee and Logan would do.

**3:50 P.M. Sunset Park Brooklyn**

Logan scanned edge of the park paying special attention to the trees. Damn it too bad it's not dark. Then again they'd probably all have night vision equipment. He had been slowly walking the edge of Sunset Park since arriving thirty minutes ago. Hank and Janet had signaled their arrival with a single beep that sounded from the micro receiver in his ear. A ultra thin wire snaked out of it to a device clipped to his ear that would allow Hank to both see and hear everything that happened to him. Logan shook his head. He felt like a walking video camera. Just then he heard Hanks voice in his ear.

"Five minutes Logan. Do you see anything?"

"Negative. Moving further under the trees. Stay with the van Janet."

As he moved undercover of the canopy of leaves he chuckled upon hearing her muffled cursing. Once again predator eyes inspected the people walking to and fro looking for anyone or anything that was out of place. Suddenly he locked on a women who walked past him down the sidewalk leading to the corner that was his meeting place. Well dressed but not noticeably so wearing a nice jacket and sunglasses and walking with a slight limp. Bingo. He took a deep breath and chuckled quietly. He should have know they would sent her. Pulling a cigar from his pocket he lit it and walked casually out from under the trees. Approaching her from behind he leaned in close and blew a cloud of smoke at the back of her head. Startled she whirled to face him and he found himself looking at Lisa Donald.

"Long time no see darlin. You come here to do a little bird watching?"

Shit she thought. Where the hell did he come from? "Hi there Hairy...or should I call you Logan? Still hiding in the trees? Would you mind blowing that stinking smoke some where else?"

"Let's cut the crap darlin. Ya got somethin for me or are ya just here ta take more pictures?"

"Hey I'm not having a great day either." Reaching into her jacket she slowly pulled out a jewel case with cd inside it. "This is a copy of a police surveillance tape from the station where the girl first made her appearance at about eight o'clock this morning. We know that her first name is Halley and that she has some kind of mutation that involves the ability to render herself not visible to human senses. We don't know if it's something she does to herself or to other people."

"That's gonna make it tough to find her. Hey how that hell did those FOH assholes find out about her with a mutation like this?"

"Don't know for sure. When she came in to the station she said something about people hurting her friends. When she is visible it's pretty obvious that she's a mutant so they chased her out.. The informant who provided us with this info told me the cops there are not mutant friendly. Some of them are probably members of FOH and they let their buddies know."

"Damn it. I don't want to have to deal with cops. This just keeps getting better. So you gonna give us a hand darlin?"

"Sorry but I'm only here to deliver the info. There's one more thing. A girl matching her description reportedly entered a free clinic less then a mile from here two hours ago. All I have is the report...no video on this one."

"Well that's something. Guess I'll check on the clinic. See if I can pick up the trail. So tell me darlin...why the hell do you SHIELD people even care what happens to one mutie kid.?"

"The Friends of Humanity seems to have hooked up with some other organization. One of an unknown nature. We have been trying to infiltrate them for some time but so far without success. Frankly we're hoping that your search for this girl will also lead us to their local headquarters in New York City. Failing that we hope to at least be able to identify some of the members and keep tabs on them. Personally I would hate to see the girl fall into their hands. I've seen what they do to mutants and if I had my way I'd shoot everyone of those fuckers right in the head."

"That would be too good for em. But it's nice ta know anyway. So assuming we do find something on these bastards how do we go about letting ya know."

"Here's a cell number that my boss can be reached at. After twenty-four hours the number will be dead so after that just toss it. Look I have to go. Please find her Logan. And please keep at least one of these assholes alive for questioning."

"Oh I aim to find the kid darlin. As to the rest I'll try and keep one that has a workin mouth for ya. Just don't know how many other parts he's gonna have left."

**8:48 P.M. The River Front Brooklyn**

She sat huddled in the corner of the abandoned semi-trailer dirty blankets wrapped around her thin body in an seemingly futile effort to keep warm. It had been three days since she had eaten anything resembling a decent meal. Three days since they had started hunting her. At first it had been easy to avoid them. Her mutation, something she had taken to calling her veil kept her hidden from their prying eyes. While it was working she could not be seen or touched, nor did she give off a sent or make noise when she walked. This last was new information only recently discovered because her pursuers had tried to use a dog to track her by sent. Although the animal had lead them to the vast lot where her hiding place was located they could not pinpoint her location and she had at one point been able to walk right past the dog and his handlers. Unfortunately the other three mutants who lived here had not been so lucky. She shuddered remembering their screams as they were beaten and dragged away. She had tried to go to the police and they had just laughed and threw her out on the street where her hunters waited. Before she had a chance to use her gift one had slashed her with a knife. The doctor at the free clinic had stitched her arm and she had done the only thing she could think to do, return to the semi-trailer that was her home.

In the course of the last four hours she had moved about the vast park of trailers numerous times. She had spotted several groups of men searching the huge lot for her. Then there was the scary looking guy with the wild hair who reminded her more of an animal then a man. Standing close to him with her veil up she was startled to see him turn toward her and growl. Scared shitless she ran until she could hardly breath stumbling into one of her many hiding places. What was she going to do. It had been almost three days since she had dared take a nap. In her head she knew that if she fell asleep the veil would fall away and they would find her. Even as the blankets warmed her shivering frame and she began to nod off a group of men silently approached the container were she slept.

If he never saw another fucking trailer it would be fine with him. Just a few hours ago after Janet had emerged from the clinic with the bloody shirt the girl had left behind his first thought was disbelief that they could get this lucky. God how he hated being right. It took a while (it was almost like the kids scent trail kept winking out) but they had tracked her to the dock area. From Second Avenue down to the river and stretching almost a mile long were row after row of semi-trailers and cargo containers. Here freight that arrived by sea was transferred to trucks and then shipped out across the country. It was the perfect place to hide. No tall buildings any where around and thousands of nearly identical steel boxes.

For the first hour Logan was on his own. Then after dusk Hank and Janet had joined in the search working toward him from the other end of the lot. To make things even worse soon after entering the area he completely lost her sent. It was fucking weird. At first he chalked it up to the general stink of the river and all the garbage scattered in huge mounds throughout the area. Then he remembered...the kids mutation. Still it wasn't like he was a normal human. He'd just have to go slow, take his time. Breath even more deeply of the rancid smelling air. He was confident he could eventually track her down. Once he even thought he saw...something. What it was he couldn't be sure but before he could be get a closer look it was gone. Gradually as he prowled the area he realized that someone else was conducting their own search. So far he had spotted two groups of men five in each group. Using the minimike he called McCoy.

"Hank we got competition. Looks like the FOH assholes that Donald warned us about. I'm trailin a group right now. You want me ta take them out?"

"Logan I do not think that we have any need to purse a confrontation no matter how satisfying it would be. I prefer to keep the lowest profile possible."

"McCoy yer no fun at all. There are at least two groups out there and I can't keep an eye on both and still look for the kid."

"Logan they have no idea where she is. I think it would be a far better use of our time to simply ignore..." Whatever else he had to say was cut off by a scream.

"We're out of time Hank. These fuckers are mine. You and Janet get to her quick." Logan watched as one spoke into what looked like a small microphone. He waited until they turned into the direction of the scream and then launched himself into their retreating backs.

Hank knew where the girl was now, or at least he knew what direction to go. Suddenly her scent was just there along with the stink of fear and then as he approached the smell of five human men. They had apparently thrown some kind of gas grenade into the trailer that was her hiding place. After she had been forced out they had grabbed her and dragged her over to the illumination of one of the few working lights left in the trailer lot. As they drew closer he head their voices. Two of them held her up by her arms while another was slapping her repeatedly across the face.

"You little mutie bitch! Your know how much fucking trouble you caused us!" He grabbed a baton out of the hands of another man and rammed the end into her stomach. She double over and would have collapsed except for the men holding her arms.

"Come on Earl...lets have a little fun" Stepping forward he gave the girls a vicious backhand that snapped her head back. Grasping the front of her shirt he began to rip it off when one of the other men grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.

"None of that shit. They said no fucking her and that's what their gonna get. If you need to screw something wait till we get back'

"Damn it Earl by the time we get back they'll be all used up. Won't be anything left when the boys are finished. Come on...this one's still fresh. What do they care if we fuck their mutie a few times?"

"Maybe they want her for themselves I don't know and I don't care as long as they pay the ten thousand like they promised. You forget what they done to Johnny? Do ya really want ta go and make em mad at ya? Sides I told Eddie ta save the little one for me. I'll even let you have her after I'm done"

"Eh...no...yea I guess we...we should just bring her back. Shit it's a damn shame...bet she'd be real nice."

"Stop with the fuckin whining will ya..."

A gunshot rang out and even as the men turned to face a woman aiming a gun at them a massive shape landed behind the two men who held the girl between them. Huge hands grabbed each man around the neck and before they could make a noise they were flung head first into the nearest metal container. Before the girl could hit the ground she was scooped up and into the blue furred arms of Hank McCoy.

"Don't move a muscle. Get down on the ground...hands behind your back. How is she Hank?"

"The young lady appears to be unconscious at the moment. I fear she may be suffering from dehydration and lack of food as well as the brutal treatment these curs have inflicted on her."

Just then a shadow loomed out of the darkness behind Janet. Startled she turn quickly to train her weapon on...Logan. Walking toward her he smirked opened his mouth and then suddenly lunged forward grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. Janet heard the pistol shoot and felt Logan flinch with the impact and growl. Looking over his shoulder she saw Hank kick the man who had shot Logan hard enough that his body rose nearly two feet off the ground . He fell back sprawling on the ground unmoving his gun clattering into the darkness. Quick as a cat Logan closed the distance with the other two. Grabbing the nearest one he yanked up and easily held him at arms length around the neck while he futilely kicked the air.

"I only need one of you assholes alive. So who's it gonna be? You got somethin ta say to me or should I just kill you and have a talk with your friend? What's that...I can't hear you?"

Janet walked up to him not quiet believing what she was seeing. He had been shot at close range with a handgun with no apparent effect. There was blood on his shirt but she wasn't sure if that was new or already there when she had first turned to see him. What she was sure of was the man he was holding wouldn't be able to answer any questions with a crushed windpipe. "Logan...stop it...please. He can't talk to us if you kill him."

"Don't really give a shit" His hands unclenched and the man dropped to the ground gasping for air. "What the hell do we need them for anyway. You guys take one for our SHIELD buddies...I'll take care of the rest. We need to get the girl out of here. Besides you don't want ta see what I'm gonna do ta them." Janet stated to argue but stopped as she noticed the girl in Hank's arms was stirring.

"Please...please don't hit me...I...oh my God who are you? Are you...you've got blue fur!"

"Please my dear remain calm. We are mutants like yourself...at least Logan and I are. I apologize that we did not arrive in time to prevent these men from hurting you. If you like we can take you away from here to a place that is safe. Can you please tell me your name?"

"It's Halley...Halley Krueger. No...I can't leave. We have to help them."

"What are ya talkin about kid? Ya got some friends hidin around here somewhere."

Janet thought back on the conversation she had overheard the man having. "No Logan not here...someplace else." She turned to the girl trying to project calm. "Are these friends of yours mutants too sweety. Did these men take them some where?"

"They came here looking for us. They couldn't find me because...hey...why isn't it working? I have this...thing where I can just disappear. Like no one can see me...except you. You growled at me."

"Relax kid ya just freaked me out is all. Something...I don't know call it instinct told me there was someone there. Just couldn't really pick you up with my senses. That's a hell of a handy trick ya got there."

"So how come it's not working? Not that I wouldn't mind not being a mutant any more. No offense but my life has majorly sucked since my parents threw me out."

"None taken my dear. I believe the cause of your current difficulties can be traced to this collar they have fastened around your neck. It's function appears to be suppressing your mutation. Which leads me to wonder wear these men have been able to acquire such a device."

The man that Logan had nearly strangled seemed finally able to talk. "We're not gonna tell you a thing you fucking mutie freak. Just wait till our friends find out..."

Logan reached down and hauled him up so they were nose to nose. "Your such a tough guy. You fucking shithead...beatin up on little girls that can't even fight back cause your buddies are holdin her arms. Your friends are over and if you don't start talking you will be too. I want ta know where your keepin her friends. I ain't gonna ask again." Grasping the man's shirt with one hand he made a fist with the other. SNICK! Three foot long razor sharp claws punched their way out of his right hand. "Talk scumbag or I start slicin stuff off...starting with your shriveled up little balls."

Janet stood dumbstruck. What the hell kind of mutation was that. Three metal claws gleamed dully in the poor lighting of the lot. The man that Logan held had pissed his pants and seemed unable to form coherent words as he stared at the gleaming weapons. Another shake by Logan and he began to talk quickly telling them everything they wanted to know. Logan laid him out with one punch. Turning to Janet he was brought up short by the look on her face, the tears in her eyes.

"What's the matter darlin...don't like what ya see? I know ya been wondering about me and now ya know."

Within minutes they had tied up the unconscious men and started making their way back to their vehicles. Logan assured them the other five men would not be any trouble. No need to tie them up. Janet trailed behind trying to get her head around the fact that Logan was some kind of mutant Frankenstein. Even though she was only thirty-three she had seen a lot of bad things in her life. But nothing she could remember was as disturbing to her as seeing those...things coming out of Logan's body. No time for this now. In about fifteen minutes they were going to be attacking an FOH stronghold one that had at least twenty armed men. And three teenaged mutants who had been in their hands almost a whole day. While she hoped they were still alive a small voice inside her head insisted that it might be better for them if they weren't.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**A/n: This chapter is more then a little graphic. Very bad things happen. Thank you Dee once again for the very kind review. Thanks also to Jedi Padfoot. As always ANY feedback you care to give is appreciated. **

**disclaimer:Not mine **

**10:20 P.M. Greenwood Cemetery Brooklyn**

Their drive over had been for the most part silent. Occasional whispered words of comfort from Janet kept Halley relatively calm. When they first arrived at the van she had nearly become hysterical when Hank had explained to her that he could not remove the collar that suppressed her power.

"There is a chance that it may explode if I do not deactivate it first. Unfortunately the equipment I require is not available to me here and so we must wait until our return to the laboratory."

While Janet tried to calm the girl Hank called the school. Ororo answered and Hank couldn't remember being happier hearing her voice. Quickly they arranged a rendevous within the confines of Greenwood Cemetery, which according to the GPS was near their objective. Hank was just about to sign off when Logan interrupted.

"Hank is Ro coming alone?" After a brief exchangeMcCoy responded that yes she was. "Tell her ta bring Pete. I think were gonna need all the help we can get." When he heard her begin to argue he took the cell from Hank ."Damn it Ro just do it will ya. We need people on the ground that won't be bothered by bullets"

At the entrance to the cemetery Logan got out and used his claws to slash the lock off. Janet was kneeing by Halley who was laying on a cot that Hank had folded down from the wall of the van. Looking through the windshield she flinched when the claws came out. Having had some time to think about it she knew there was no way those could be natural. How had he...she had lots of questions but still no real answers. Only a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The van slid to a halt behind some trees about two hundred yards from the edge of the cemetery. Logan vaulted into the back and pulled open a cabinet. Grabbing a bundle he handed it to Janet and began to strip. He was undoing his buckle when he heard Janet clear her throat. Looking up he saw her glaring while the kid looked like she was enjoying the view.

"Relax...just changing into something less comfortable." Stepping out of his jeans and wearing only boxers which to Janet's amusement were festooned with red maple leafs he took the bundle and shook it out. It was the black leather of the X-Men.

"You told me you hated wearing that?"

"Yup...damned uncomfortable...and binding as hell. But it does have one good point thanks ta McCoy. The chest and back are reinforced with kevlar."

Janet thought back to the dockyard. My God she though he was shot. Looking at him as started to pull on the uniform she noticed the dark stain running down the left side of his torso. Blood. "Are you ok Logan...I mean the man did shoot you..."

"Not a problem darlin. Bullet passed right though. But they do hurt like hell so I'm gonna wear this damn thing" He could smell her fear. It was faint and he knew that she was trying to fight it. But he hadn't smelled it on her at all until he popped the claws. Well no shit Sherlock who wouldn't be afraid of seeing that. He just hoped she wasn't afraid of him.

The side door of the van slid open and Hank squeezed his way into the already crowded space. He had a laptop that displayed a satellite map of their location. "We are here. Past this line of trees is about fifty yards of open space. The next group of trees borders Twentieth Street. Across that street is the rundown warehouse and adjoining parking lot that is our target. Past this clump of trees there is no cover for any one approaching from our direction. One could try to circle by following the tree line to here..."

"Cut the crap Hank. How long till the others are here?"

"Maybe thirty minutes. Logan we need to formulate a plan for taking them by surprise. I want us all to be..."

"You go right ahead and make that plan fuzzy. I'm gonna check the place out...see if I can get inside and find out how things are."

"Logan wait...you should not go by yourself. Let me at least go with you."

"Sorry Hank I work better alone. Sides you need ta stay and wait for Ro." Turning to Janet he just shook his head when she opened her mouth. "No dice darlin. Ya did real good back there but last I heard ya aren't bullet proof. Chuck would be pissed as hell if I let ya get shot."

"Logan just remember you may heal but your not bullet proof either. Be careful"

He grunted and slid open the door and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Only after he was gone did she realize that he had left his boots behind.

Logan stared intently at the structure across the street. The road itself was deserted and dimly lit. No windows were visible on the side of the building facing him. Carefully he scanned the roof and as far down the left side as far as he could see. Nothing. Breaking from the cover of the trees he dashed across the street and to the southwest corner of the building. Silently he crouched in the shadow listening intently for any hint that he had been seen. After a minute he began to follow the side of the building. About three-quarters of the way down he found what he was looking for, a window that apparently opened into a cellar or basement. It was covered with a metal grate but his claws made short work of that. Using a single claw he cut the glass out of the window frame and drew the pane back. Squirming through the hole he dropped six feet to the floor.

The stench of death hung in the air. The interior of the basement was very dark but Logan's nose quickly let him to a bundle of rags that was the source of the smell. Peeling back the filthy cloth he looked at...shit he couldn't tell what it was now. Charred skin stuck to the shroud and Logan quickly replaced the covering barely able to master the bile he felt rising in his throat. Standing up he used the mike to call Hank.

"Hank...found a dead one...I think a he...shit...been here a couple of days. I'm gonna see if I can find a way out of here."

Logan found that his eyes were able to pick out more details. Dirt floor, another small widow on the opposite side. A steel door to his right and next to the door...evidence of fresh digging. Looked like graves...six of them. Against the corner to the right of the door were a dozen barrels. Walking over he took a sniff. There was fuel oil and...what the hell was that stuff...ammonium nitrate. On top of one of the barrels was a black box. It had a dial, a blinking green light, and wires coming out of it that snaked up the wall and disappeared through the ceiling. He could cut the wires but if the box was the detonator that would probably cause the thing to go off.

"Hank...we got a problem. Looks like they got a bomb down hear. A big one. Enough to level the building. I'm gonna have a look around...see if I can find who's got the trigger."

"Logan you should not continue until we can defuse it. If you wish I can take a look at the device and see if there is a way to render it harmless."

"Be my guest Hank. There's a door...no lock from this side. Gonna cut the dead bolt."

Extending a single claw he wedged it between the frame and the door. Feeling the lock give he slowly pulled the door back. He smelled blood...fresh blood. I single bulb illuminated the room. Across from his door was another and to his right crumpled on the floor a body. No...not dead yet but close. Someone chained to the wall. Young kid maybe fifteen or sixteen...he was badly beaten...broken nose, blood all over his face and coming out of his mouth. Looked like some broken ribs. Silent steps only he could hear. Hank McCoy padded over to him.

"Any attempt to cut the wires...My God..." he hissed. Crouching Hank felt for a pulse. Gently he turned him over. The back of his shirt and pants were soaked with blood. "Logan...he needs immediate medical attention. We must get out of here. That device on top of the barrels will detonate if the wires are cut."

Extending the claws he cut the kid free. "You take him Hank. There's two more...I ain't leavin without em"

McCoy shrugged... what could he do. He worked his arms under the battered teen and lifted him as if he weighted nothing. Silently he made his way back to the van. This was why he hated field work. The rage he felt was like a living thing that threatened to overwhelm him and destroy the years of labor that had been needed to leash the animal within. His fingers itched to wrap themselves around the necks of the monsters responsible for this. How much worse he wondered would it be for Logan.

He had to hold it together. The easiest thing in the world would be to just give in and let the animal have his way. First though he had to find them. He didn't think he'd kill anyone that he saw but that was a chance he couldn't take. After all he had done just that before. Standing by the door he took a moment to center himself...and listen. The door was sound proofed, but he still caught something that seemed like voices coming from the other side. He knew stealth was his best option so he hoped those voices were not right by the door. Once again adamantium claws sliced easily through steel dead bolt. Slowly he pulled the door back. Stairs leading up and a wooden door at the top. His bare feet making no sound he crept to the top of the stairs. Now he could hear their voices quite clearly.

"...don't see why we even need to be here. Ain't no way that mutie is going any where. Hell he'll be dead by morning.

"Will you shut the fuck up. At least you already had a piece of her. I ain't even had a chance to fuck her yet. I don't know why the hell we have to save the other one for Earl. It's not our fault the stupid asshole can't even find the mutie they really want."

"All I'm saying is we shouldn't even have to be here. Why don't we just finish the poor fucker off and then you and me can have some fun."

There were two of them. Standing on either side of the door. No other sounds nearby. Grasping the door knob he slowly turned. The door opened just a sliver of light coming through. Neither one realized any thing was wrong until they heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. As they turned the door flew open and the last thing they saw was a man with knives sticking out of his hands.

Logan threw the bodies down the stairs. Listening carefully he heard muffled sounds coming through the ceiling overhead. He stalked down the hallway to another door. No sound from the other side. He pushed through and saw the stairs. While soundlessly walking up he called Hank to inform him that their objective was on the second floor. Easing open the door at the top after his hearing told him it was safe he glanced down the hallway . It was empty. Slipping out the door he reach up and unscrewed the nearest light bulb and then faded back into the concealing darkness. There were four doors, one pair about twenty feet down the other two twenty feet past them. All the noise was coming from the far end. He had just decided to check out the two closest to him when the far left door opened and four men came out.

With a start he realized that whatever they were using for sound proofing was very effective. There were more men then he had thought. At least ten probably more. One of the four looked down the hallway and for a second he thought he had been seen. But he just cursed and when the door opened followed the others inside. Then it hit him. The smell of sex and the stink of fear. It was suddenly cut off as the door closed and Logan knew where the other captives were.

Rising from the crouch he had assumed to stay hidden he stalked down the hallway. SNICK! Both sets of claws ejected from his hands. Reaching the door he heard faint screams from within. Using the mike he called Hank.

"Found em Hank...second floor northwest corner. Look for a window frame that's bricked over."

Logan...wait we should not move in until the others arrive."

"How long?"

"About ten minutes. Our best chance of rescue will be for all of us to work together."

More screams..barely audible even to his senses. "Fuck that McCoy...I'm done waitin."

Thrusting his claws into the door he slashed down. Kicking it out of the way he stepped into the room. The screams were suddenly cut off and for a single heartbeat all he heard was the sound of himself...growling. That small space of time was all he needed to take in the sight before him. To his left a naked girl was lying on a table with her hands and feet tied to it's legs. Between her thighs stood a man with his pants down to his ankles in the act of raping her. The girl was giving him a glassy eyed stare. Something moved to his left as the first man came at him. Almost casually his leg came up, delivering a back kick so powerful it launched the man into the one behind him bringing both down in a tangle of limbs.

Two steps brought him further into the room and within range of the girls abuser. A single flick of his wrist and the man was decapitated his head flying into the far wall blood splashing both Logan and the girl as his body dropped like a stone to the floor. Hearing a scream he spun around. And saw another girl even younger chained to the wall naked from the waist up. Two men had been using a taser on her and they were moving toward him one clutching the device. A roundhouse kick broke the first man's jaw while the claws of Logan's right hand disemboweled the other. Even as the man fell screaming to the floor he launched himself at the last two. One apparently thought he knew something about fighting and tried to kick him in the balls. Logan swiped down taking the man's foot off. His partner scrambled behind a chair which was promptly kicked into his face. Hearing noise behind him he turned to see someone scramble out the doorway. The animal screamed to give chase but instead he brought his foot down crushing the larynx of his latest victim. Scooping up the chair he used it to wedge the door shut and quickly scanned the room.

Three dead two out for a long time. The bastard who's foot he sliced off was bleeding all over the place but still alive and conscious. The girl on the table was staring at him slack jawed, blood from her attacker splattered across her stomach. She had one of those fucking collars around her neck. He could hear noise coming from behind the door. Their time was almost up. He turned to the other girl. She was also staring and he could smell the fear coming off her. She began to shake as he approached her eyes fixed on his bloody claws.

"Please don't...I'm just a kid please just stay away..."

Damn it he thought she's about two seconds from losing it. Retracting the claws he tried to calm her down. "Kid I ain't gonna hurt ya. I'm not with these fuckers." Banging on the door. It wouldn't hold long. "Look...I'm gonna cut ya down. I need ya ta help her. Can ya do that for me?"

She took a deep breath and gave him a long look. "Of course I can...she's my sister." As tears ran down her face she closed her eyes and Logan cut through the bonds that held her. As she stumbled forward he wrapped one arm around her waist and held her up. Feeling her flinch he let go. She backed away a few steps arms wrapped around her bare chest and shaking. Shit he didn't have time for this.

"I told ya kid...I ain't gonna hurt ya. Untie her quick. Someone's coming ta help. Should be here any minute."

"OK...ok...just please stay away from me...please don't hurt me"

The chair started sliding across the floor. Logan waited until someone wedged their arm inside and then kicked the door as hard as he could. The loud crack told him he had one less asshole to worry about as the man screamed and barely got his arm out before Logan slammed his shoulder into the door and held it shut against the crowd pushing from the other side. Suddenly there was a crack of thunder and the bricked up widow frame exploded inward narrowly missing the two girls. Ororo Munroe glided in gently landing before him with Hank bounding in right behind her. As they took in the carnage of the room and the state of the girls the shock was plain on their faces.

"God Ro you're a sight for sore eyes. Get these two out of here and hurry up."

Ororo stepped forward and took the older one by the hand whispering something that even Logan couldn't hear above all the noise coming from behind the door. He got his first good look at her. She was covered with bruises and what looked like cigarette burns. Blood some of it old some fresh ran down the inside of her thighs. She was swaying on her feet. Taking her by both hands Storm gently floated them out the gaping hole in the wall. Turning his attention to the other girl he saw her shrinking away from Hank.

"Come on kid...ya gotta get out of here now."

She looked at him and then Hank. "What about you...are you coming with us?"

He gave her his most feral grin. "Not yet darlin. I've got some unfinished business first." Then he smelled it. They had C-4 and they were about to use it. "Get the hell out Hank, there gonna blow the door."

Quickly Beast grabbed the shaking girl and bounded out the window. Instead of following Logan ran to the corner of the room furthest from the door and curled up with his back facing out. Two seconds later the door was blown off it's hinges.

Smoke filled the room. Springing to his feet he inched his way along the wall to the right side of the door. As the first one stepped through he grabbed his shotgun and yanked him right into the claws of his left hand. Shoving the corpse back out into the hall way he followed wading into the men as they bunched up in the doorway. He killed two more almost instantly and then they started shooting. Bullets impacted his chest and drove him back slightly but none penetrated the uniform. Still they hurt like a bitch and that just made him mad. Ok madder. Another shot ran out but this time one of the men in front of him staggered and grabbed his arm. Logan kicked out and sent him flying into the others and then he tore into the rest with a frenzy. Frantically they fired their weapons trying to put him down hitting him twice in the left arm and dropping another one of their own. Within thirty seconds he had killed or maimed everyone left standing in the hall using one of their own guns to shoot the last one as he tried to escape. Stalking over to him he reached down with his right hand hauled him up slamming him into the wall.

"You mother fucking asshole! How the hell can you do what you did to those kids and call yourself a man? Now you listen real good because I'm only gonna ask once. Where are a bunch of dumb shits like you getting those collars from?"

The man's face was contorted in fear and pain. Mouth unable to form words he glanced down at the three deadly blades that were held an inch away from his groin and then at the door over Logan's left shoulder. Seeing the direction of his gaze Logan grunted and slammed his fist into the man's jaw retracted the claws at the last moment. Releasing his unconscious form he moved to the door, one of two Logan had yet to explore.

He could see no handle or latch of any kind. Claws sprang out as he stepped forward to cut it open. The moment his blades came in contact a jolt of electricity coursed through his body and he was thrown back into the opposite wall. Shit he hated getting electrocuted. Getting to his feet and shaking the cobwebs out he walked back to the pile of bodies by the blown out door. A few minutes search found what he was looking for. A canvas bag with a chunk of C-4, some wires' and a detonation switch. Shaping the explosive with his hands he placed a long thin strip of it by the edge of the door careful not to bring it into contact. If there was anything he hated worse than electrocution it was getting blow up. No need to do both at once. Sticking the wire in the C-4 he pugged the other end into the switch and retreated as far as the wire would go. Laying it on the ground he covered his ears with his hands and using his big toe flicked the switch.

Even with his ears covered the noise felt like someone was hitting his head with a sledgehammer. Staggering to the broken door he kicked it in and entered the room. There were three men. One of then struggling to get back on his feet the other two standing well back dressed from head to toe in black and holding...swords. Lashing out with his left foot he caught the injured man under the chin making sure he stayed down. Turning he faced the other two. They had made no move to attack holding their katana before them in what he knew was the ready position. There was a desk in the corner behind them and on it was a black box that looked just like the one in the basement. The one on top of the bomb. It even had an identical blinking light. Then in a move the shocked him the one on his right bowed sword held to his forehead.

"You see my brother I told you it was he"

Logan scowled at him. "What the fuck are talking about."

The man's voice was cultured with just a trace of a Chinese accent. His face like that of the other two was swathed in black cloth the eyes being only thing being visible. They were the eyes of an Asian man. Cold eyes, merciless, the eyes of a killer.

"I am honored to meet you Patch. It is said that you were once one of our greatest foes. Long have we thought you dead. It will be my greatest honor to make that belief a reality"

"I don't know what the hell your talking about. My name's Logan and you made a big mistake when you decided to help these racist assholes. Your last mistake."

"There are times when one must use less then honorable tools to achieve a desired objective. That should come as no surprise to you Patch."

"Stop calling me that you fucker! You think you can take me with those shinny toothpicks. Well think again." Popping the claws he closed the distance between them.

The silent one swung at his neck. Holding up his left hand he caught the sword with his claws and it shattered shards flying through the air. His right hand followed through claws punching into the man's chest. Throwing the dead weight aside he turned quickly catching movement out of the corner of his eye. But there was no attack. The man was standing by the desk his hand on the box. There was no way Logan could get there in time. He had a feeling this was really going to hurt.

Then the world exploded.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey Wolviesfan thanks** **for the kind word. The Hand is a very good guess** **but not right. Close. Thank you Dee for your encouragement. I think you beat me by about three hours. I struggled a little with how to write the last chapter. Didn't want to be too graphic, but I didn't want to gloss over what happened either. I don't write cliff hangers too often, once in a while is fun though. This will be my last update for a while. Leave for a two week vacation tomorrow. Please let me know what you like or what you don't.**

**Disclaimer: Most of them are owned by big corporations, a few are owned by me**

God she hated it here. The smell was enough to set her teeth on edge. Add to that the machines and the association her borrowed memories had with what machines like that could do and coming in to give a blood sample (Hank's continuing mission to help her find a cure) was about all she could take. One of the many fringe benefits that came with a heapin double dose of Logan's unique personality. Like the fact that occasionally her roomy had to remind her that walking down the hall sans shirt was not something she could pull off (more than once). Or the sudden urges she sometimes had to grab Bobby (or even worse Ororo) tear his clothes off and screw the hell out of him (he was takin too much time). Then there was the whole losing her temper thing which seemed to be happening more and more of late. Like last night when the X-Men came back with what she thought at first was Logan's body.

None of them had a scratch and he looked like three hundred pounds of ground chuck. There was a bloody bandage on his left side below the rib cage. Blood was leaking from his nose and mouth and the left side of his face was so battered and bloody in was unrecognizable. At first all she could do was stare at the still form that Hank and Pete brought off the jet. Hank saw the look on her face and quickly assured her that while Logan looked bad he was healing just as he always did. There was just more to heal than there normally was. A lot more. His mutation would attend to the more critical internal injuries first and deal with the things that looked bad later. Oh great. It's even worse than it looks. While one part of her brain was processing this the rest of her moved automatically to assist as four other people came off the jet. She helped Jubes take the stretcher of a guy who looked almost as bad as Logan. Kitty and Bobby took the other which held a girl. Her face looked pretty bad and when she saw a bare arm she cringed. Little round burn marks. Could things get any worse? They did. When they reached the infirmary Rogue finally noticed two other girls that were walking behind her with that Phillips woman. She was already upset and seeing her just made things worse. But it was what Hank and Storm did next that set her off. Shunting Logan's stretcher to one side they began to work on the other two.

She couldn't believe this. Rogue stood staring at them for about thirty seconds while the rage within her grew. Then Charles wheeled into the room and struck the match.

"Peter would you and Bobby move Logan to the security area so Henry and Ororo have more room to work?"

"Ah can't believe you fucking people. What are ya gonna do next, chain him up and throw him in a cell. Why the hell are you helpin them when Logan is hurt so bad?"

"Now Rogue you know that Henry will attend to Logan as soon as they are out of danger. After all they are not blessed with a healing..."

"Don't give me that shit. You know that he's in pain. How can you just leave him like this. And now you want to just move him aside so Hank has more room to take care of strangers? No fucking way!" Looking Xavier in the eye she ripped her right glove off. "Either Hank takes care of him right now or Ah'll touch him and do it myself!"

Suddenly the infirmary was very quiet. Xavier had no idea what to do with the enraged young woman who stood before him. Although it was very difficult for him to read Rogue he could tell by what she was projecting just how serious she was. Before he could formulate a response Janet walk up to face him.

"She's right Charles and you know it. While I'm sure if he were awake Logan would insist that he would be fine I don't think it's right for us to treat him as if it doesn't matter that he's hurt. He does that enough on his own. Bobby, Peter please move him to the other bed while Rogue and I get what we need." Turning to Marie she forced herself to be calm. "Please Rogue...this isn't going to help Logan feel better. What he needs is something to relieve his pain. I can help you set everything up. Then all Hank needs to do is start the IV for him."

Jubilee could see her friend was about two seconds from losing it. Walking over she gently reached out to grasp her Rogue's bare hand with her own gloved one. "Please chica calm down. We're not gonna help Wolvster by losing it. Come on babe let's help her take care of him."

Rogue looked at Logan...then at Jubilee...and started to sob violently. "Ah'm sorry Jubes...when Ah saw him coming off the jet Ah thought..."

Jubilee wrapped her arms around her crying friend. "Yeah...I know. It's ok girl. We're gonna take care of him right now. He's going to be fine. "

Leading her over to the bed Logan had been placed on they set to work cutting off his uniform. Meanwhile Janet and Charles set up the IV drip and hung the bag of morphine. By the time they were done Hank could leave his patient and he came over to start the IV. First he coated the needle in a solution that he had developed to retard clotting. After inserting the needle he proceeded to wrap it very tightly to Logan's arm. Then with Janet's help he quickly changed the bandage. Hank was pleased to see that the formerly gaping wound was nearly closed. He then turned to the three women.

"Someone will have to stay while he is hooked up to the IV. Even though I have secured the needle firmly his skin will attempt to push it out. Eventually that will happen. Hopefully by the time it does his healing factor will have repaired most of the damage."

"Ah'll do it. Ah want ta be here when he wakes up. Ah'm so sorry Hank...it was just so hard for me to see Logan hurt like that. In mah head Ah know he's gonna be alright but Ah hate seeing him suffer."

"I understand Rogue. It is hard to see the someone you love in pain. I must offer you my humble apology as well. I know that I can be so focused on what I am doing that I do not consider the effect my words and actions can have on others. I am not angry with you Rogue but I am worried." He leaned in close and whispered so only she could hear. "Please talk to Charles or...well somebody about this. We both know that Logan is not the cause of these outbursts. You need help. Please do not think you have to face this alone."

Sitting in the hated infirmary as she watched over Logan she thought about what Hank had said...and what she had done. Her first reaction was to deny it all. Of course Logans the reason she thought to herself. Why the hell else would I be acting this way. Of course it's his temper that's causing me to lose it. Thinking about it some more (not much else to do while she was here except think) she realized that something didn't fit. If her inner Logan was the source of her acting out how come the real Logan didn't act out. Sure he cussed people out and liked to piss off Scott whenever he could. She on the other hand had threatened to use her mutation on the school's new doctor. Maybe Hank was right. He was after all the very definition of smart guy. And while she didn't quite understand how she had gotten from angry to actually wanting to use her mutation on a friend she understood at least the source of the feelings. Desperation. When she had seen Logan's condition her first thought was that he would die and she would be without family. Again. She wondered if he knew how important he was to her, how much he mattered. It was something she knew he had a hard time believing. Well whatever happened one thing she was sure of. She would do whatever she needed to do to make him see. As long as she was alive he would always have a family.

Feeling a little better with what had happened she went to check on him again. Xavier had demanded that she monitor him from the office. She knew that he had a sound reason. From personal experience Rogue knew that Logan didn't wake up well. She also knew that when he did show signs of coming around that she would be in there no matter what Xavier said. Walking quietly so as not to disturb the other patients she opened the door and walked in. While the others were in private cubicles off the main room of the infirmary Hank had placed Logan in the security room. Since it was where they would house injured enemies it could be sealed of from the rest of the infirmary. Even though Rogue knew it was just a precaution, it was just one more thing about the whole situation that made her angry.

As she walked to the side of his bed she had to stifle a gasp. No matter how many times she saw his mutation in action it was still like watching a miracle in slow motion. Fours hours ago he had been bleeding from internal injures and the left side of his face had practically been pulp. Now she could run her gloved hand over the perfectly smooth skin there. She lifted the patch Hank had placed over his left eye. Instead of a grotesquely swollen bloody lump the eye and lid appeared normal. Marie pulled back the sheet to check the other wounds All the deep cuts and burns on his chest ("the chest of perfection" according to Jubes) had disappeared. Smiling she replaced the sheet when suddenly she heard movement. Turning Rogue saw one of the girls that had come back with the team. It was the younger one and when she got a good look at Logan she just stood there mouth hanging open.

"Oh my God...I can't...how did they do this?"

The girl was a good four inches taller than her five foot seven inches and thin as a rail with short brown hair. Looking at her closely Rogue noticed her eyes which looked almost like a cats with yellow iris and vertically slit pupils. Someone had given her a Xavier school track suit to wear but apparently forgotten the shoes. Even though she was sure the girls question was directed at her all her attention was fixed on Logan.

"Ah'm not sure what yer talkin about. How did who do what?"

"Don't play games with me. This guy was worse off than Luke when they dug him out of that building. All I want to know is can they do this for my sister? Do they have a machine of some kind?"

"No...no ya don't understand. Ya know that he's a mutant right?"

"Well duh...I mean I saw the knives coming right out of his hands so yea I guess I know. Still that's gotta be the scarcest mutation I ever saw."

"The claws aren't his natural mutation. He heals. From anything. Real fast. So If yer askin if they can do the same thing for yer sister Ah'm sorry but they can't."

The girls face fell and for a second Rogue thought she would start crying. But she just continued to stare at Logan slowly shaking her head. "Man that's amazing. When that building blew up I thought he was a goner. Then that big kid...the one with the cool accent changed into some kind of metal guy and started digging him out."

Shit thought Rogue. No wonder he's so bad off. "Ah'm sorry about your sister. Ah know that Hank will do everything he can for her...and the other guy." She felt so lame...she didn't even know their names.

"Luke...his name is Luke Nerling. I'm Mackenzie Harper." Then the girl did begin to cry the tears running down her cheeks. Rogue carefully checked to see if it would be safe and then enfolded the girl in her arms.

"Be careful not to touch mah skin."

"They wouldn't stop hurting her...no matter how much we begged them. At first after they caught us I thought we'd be ok. These guys were paying them to look for mutants. So when they got us back to the place they took Luke. They said they had to test us. Then we got even more scared when they didn't bring him back. They took us to a room and there was these three guys dressed in black. I mean how stupid is that...bad guys dressing in black. I was even more afraid then because there was a lot of blood and I was so worried for Luke. My sister kind of likes him and she was getting a little hysterical. They stuck needles in our arms and took some blood and put it in this box. After a few minutes they looked at it and then told the men that they didn't want us..." At this point she began to cry even harder. Rogue was worried the girl would faint or touch her so as gently as she could lead her over to a chair and sat her down.

"Just sit here for a minute Mackenzie. Ah'll be right back." Rogue went to get a glass of water and a wash cloth for her. By the time she returned the girl had stopped crying. She was hunched forward on the chair elbows on knees just staring off into space. Carefully Marie wiped her face and then handed her the glass. After a few minutes she started talking again her voice barely a whisper.

"At first they just slapped us around a little...asked about Halley...how they could find her. We told them...we couldn't tell them anything because we had no idea...you just can't find Halley if she doesn't want to be found. Then they took Anna and they started...we begged them...they were hurting her so bad and when she screamed they just laughed. They tied me to the wall and used that shocky thing on me when I wouldn't watch what they were doing to her. After the first few...after awhile she stopped screaming and just looked at me like I wasn't even there...Oh God Rogue I feel so horrible..."

"Hey...look at me Mackenzie...this is not your fault. None of you did anything to deserve what those assholes did ta you. Ah'm so sorry we didn't get there sooner and if Logan was awake he'd say the same thing."

"You don't understand," she said angrily. "I just...I just was so afraid they would...all I could think of was once they stopped hurting my sister...that it would be my turn. Then he came in and it was like suddenly...it was over. I know it's not how I'm supposed to feel but I was just so glad they didn't have the chance to rape me...and I was glad they were dead."

"You look here," Rogue said in what she hoped was a commanding tone of voice. "You think it would have made things any easier on your sister if you had been raped along with her. Look Ah know you feel terrible because she was hurt so bad but I know if I were her it would make me feel better to know they didn't have a chance to hurt you that way too."

"What the fuck do you know about it? Your living in a mansion with people to protect you. Do you have any idea what it's like for mutants out there. Do you know how lucky you are? My sister and I were living in a fucking metal box for over a month."

"Ah haven't always lived here ya know. Ah was on mah own for eight months after mah daddy told me ta get out. What Ah'm saying is we do know a lot about it. You and your sister can have a home here if that's what ya want. The Professor started this place ta give kids like us a home when their families couldn't cope."

"The big blue guy told me something like that...but it sounded too good to be true. So tell me about it Rogue. What is this place anyway?"

For the next forty minutes Rogue told her about Xavier's the best way she knew how. By telling Mackenzie how she had found the place and what a difference it had made in her life. Even as she was doing so Marie was struck with how very much Logan figured in all of this. It made her even more determined to tell him. The girl was mostly quiet while she talked aside from the occasional question. When Rogue was done Mackenzie took a long look at Logan.

"He might act like a good guy but he sure doesn't look like one! When he cut through that door I was scared to death. I thought he was gonna kill Anna and I when he was done with them. I mean he just don't look like the kind of guy to help any one."

"Ah know what you mean. The first time Ah saw him..., " hearing the infirmary door open and Jubilee call out to her she turned around and saw her friend and Janet coming through the door each with a tray heaped with food..

"Hey Rogey...brought you some breakfast. Sorry...no grits today. Hey who's the new...what the fuck!" The tray fell to the floor food and broken dishes flying all over the place.

Janet was about to walk into Anna's cubicle. Putting the try down on a table she hurried over to Jubilee. The girl looked...confused...and when she looked at what she was staring at so was she. In the aftermath of the explosion the building having collapsed with no sign of Logan escaping she had been certain there was no way he would survive. It wasn't until Hank got off the phone with SHIELD and looked at her that she realized she was crying. When Hank and Pete had finally dug Logan out she was amazed to see that he was still breathing. Seeing the condition he was in had made her feel sick. Hank had assured her just before going off to grab a few hours sleep that he would heal but she had assumed that would take weeks. That was less than five hours ago. There wasn't a mark on hin. No sign of the grievous injuries he had suffered.

Jubilee stepped to the side of his bed and reached out to trace the left side of his face with shaking fingers. Even knowing courtesy of Rogue the extent of his healing power she still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Lifting the sheet revealed the prefect skin beneath. God. She just couldn't get enough of that chest.

Seeing the look on her friends face Rogue shook her head fighting back a grin. "Down girl. Ah know he looks mighty fine but he's still not quite all there yet. Sides Ah don't think standin around perving on Logan is giving our guest here the right impression."

With a sigh Jubilee dropped the sheet. After introductions all around she hurried back to the kitchen to replace the food she had dropped while Mackenzie went to check on her sister. Janet was about to follow but paused to look at Logan again.

"I just can't...I mean Hank told me he would heal but I thought it would take weeks."

Rogue looked at her frowning. Time to eat some crow. "Ms. Phillips Ah just want ta thank ya for what ya said last night. It just burns me up how people seem ta think that it's no big deal when Logan gets hurt."

"I'm sure they didn't do it deliberately Rogue and I'm think Hank was feeling a little overwhelmed but still it made me a little angry myself. Charles should know better then to reinforce that type of thinking."

"Ms. Phillips...Janet...Ah want to apologize for treating you the way Ah have. Ah've been thinkin about how my temper is gettin a little out of hand and that maybe Ah should talk ta someone about it. Hank McCoy has been nothin but kind ta me...Ah just can't believe Ah threatened him like Ah did."

"I'd be happy to talk to you when ever you want to Rogue. Obviously Charles was a little heavy handed when I was he introduced so I understand your not being too thrilled about being ordered to see me. Why don't we start over and see what happens. I've only been here a week and what I really want right now is just to get to know everyone a little better. There is one thing I'd like you to do for me. Mackenzie is going to need someone to show her around and to listen to her. For the next few days at least I have to concentrate on Anna and I suspect so will Charles. Could you help her...make her feel at home here?"

"Ah'd be glad to. We had a nice long chat about the school already. We also talked about what happened...what those men did to them. Ah want to help any way Ah can." Banging sounds and a squeal signaled Jubilee's return and they scramble to help her before they lost another meal. Janet left to take some food to Mackenzie and her sister. Rogue and Jubilee went back to the office and used Hank's desk as a table. Rogue gave her friend a very abbreviated version of what Mackenzie told her.

"Ah what ta help her get settled Jubes. In fact if ya don't mind Ah'm gonna ask the Professor if she can stay in our room for a few days. After all the shit she's been through the girl is gonna need a little help."

"Hey that's a great idea girl. We could like show her around and clue the younger kids about how much we'll be mad if they give her a hard time. Ya know this would be a perfect opportunity for the spending of large sums of money. The girl is gonna need some clothes. Who better then us to help with that? Course with all your snoring she's not going to be getting much sleep." Jubilee grinned at her friend and quickly dodged the muffin that Rogue hurled at her.

From the doorway a familiar voice rumbled, "I don't like blueberry."

Rogue jumped out of her seat and ran toward him. All she wanted to do was squeeze the life out of him. She stopped short and actually growled in frustration when she realized he had nothing on but a bed sheet wrapped around his waist. Standing just a foot away she smiled tears trailing down her face. "Oh my God Logan...Ah'm so glad ta see ya. You scared the hell outta me!"

"Hey darlin please don't cry. Ain't no need ta worry about me kid. See I'm good as new."

Rogue clenched her hands in frustration, both at the cavalier manner he treated his injuries as well as her inability to receive the comfort she needed. Suddenly something white flew past her head right into Logans face. Jubilee had tossed him one of Hank's enormous lab coats. Quickly he put it on and Rogue flew into his arms.

"Ya big jerk! How the hell did ya manage ta let a whole building fall on ya! God Logan Ah was so scared."

"I'm sorry darlin really I am. Hey it was no fun for me either. But you know I was gonna be alright kid...after all I always heal."

Rogue wanted to haul off and smack him. "Stop talkin like that! You might not care how much you get hurt but I sure as hell do!"

Logan's throat felt a little funny...it was suddenly hard to swallow. Think you dummy! Of course she's going to worry when you get your sorry ass blown up. That's what happens when people care about you. Looking over her shoulder he saw Jubilee trying not to stare. Her eyes looked...wet and her chin was quivering. He looked at her and winked. "Come on over and help hold me up kid." She walked to them and he folded one arm over her slender shoulders.

Looking at the food on the desk he felt his stomach rumble. "So what are you two gonna eat?"

This time Marie did smack him on the shoulder. "All you men ever think about is food and sex." She divided the meal amongst the three of them and they sat down to finally eat.

"Hey kid...did they leave any of my clothes here. I fell like a fucking idiot havin to wear this sheet."

A fork clattered on the floor and Rogue looked up from her plate to see her roommate with her hands clutching her head. She was moaning in obvious pain.

"What's wrong Jubes...are you feelin alright?"

"What's wrong? I'll tell ya what's wrong girl. The Wolvster was like totally naked and I didn't even get a good look!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Charles Xavier started at his computer as the images played out yet again. After seeing to his patients last night Hank had stopped by to talk before going to bed. Hank had given him a brief summary of what had happened and then handed him a computer disk before going to snatch a few hours of rest. The disk contained a recording of the video feed from the communication device that Logan had worn when he had attacked the FOH warehouse. To say the quality was poor would be an understatement. Even so what had happened was quite clear. Logan had overpowered at least twenty very heavily armed (and very poorly trained) men killing at last half of them outright. Xavier still had no idea why the building had exploded. Hank had mentioned something about a bomb but the recording had ended abruptly when Logan had used the C-4 to open the electrified door.

Considering the images of what those...animals were doing to the two girls now in his care he could feel nothing but a grim satisfaction for what Logan had done. That as much as anything else frightened him. The time had come to finally lay his cards on the table. He had called Scott first thing this morning and he had agreed to return within the next few days. Later on today he would have to talk about what happened with Hank and Ororo. No doubt she would be especially disturbed with what had happened. With a sigh he reached for his phone. After hearing from Hank how SHIELD had kept the local police away long enough for them to retrieve Logan and leave he knew that this was something he had to do. He dialed and after two rings someone picked up

"Hello Nicolas...I believe we have some issues to discuss."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**A/n: I'm back. Yellowstone is an incredible place. Even got some ideas for a few chapters that will be set there. Dee I have to admit that you are right. I should have written something about what Logan went through but at the time it never crossed my mind. RhiannonUK I just couldn't go off for two weeks and leave things as they were (are you listening)**. **Glad you liked it. Thanks for the kind word Koenigsegg. Sorry I took so long to update. There is a lot of talking in this chapter. But don't worry. More action coming your way soon. As always please let me know what you think. Any helpful advice is always appreciated. **

Someone was pissing him off. There was a person knocking on his door and it sounded like wooden gongs going off in his head. Sniffing the air he realized it was Rogue. He figured she must have something she needed to see him about so instead of cursing her out he rolled out of bed, threw in a pair of gym shorts and opened the door.

She stood there arm half raised to knock again her eyes taking in is nearly naked form. The most perfect male body she had ever seen. And she'd been through Ororo's entire collection of Playgirl. Twice. Just because she was untouchable didn't mean she was dead. And a woman would have to be dead not to appreciate the sight before her.

"Hey kid...ya just gonna stand there and stare or are ya gonna tell me why the hell yer knockin on my door?" Logan was well aware of the effect he was having on her. Hey it wasn't his problem.

"The Professor wanted ta talk ta ya. He thought you'd be happier if Ah went ta get ya. Ah thought ya might be hungry so Ah brought some food for ya."

"Thanks darlin...but we just had breakfast awhile ago. Say what the hell time is it any way?"

Rogue shook her head laughing as she handed him the plate that contained a monstrous sandwich. With the confused expression on his face and his wild spiky hair she couldn't help herself.

"Ah do believe ya would have slept all day. Logan it's almost four o'clock. Are ya sure yer feeling ok sugah? "

"Shit...I can't believe I was out that long. Thanks for the chow kid. I guess the healin took a little more outta me then I thought. Marie...Chuck told me what happened when they brought me back. I'm sorry to scare ya the way I did. I known ya was angry for me darlin but ya gotta understand they was only doin the sensible thing. Ya know kid yer starting ta worry me losing yer temper like ya do."

"Oh Logan...Ah just got a little crazy when I seen how bad ya were hurt. Ya know Ah did a lot of thinkin last night. Ah was afraid Logan. Ah...ya know Ah was thinkin how I never told ya how much ya mean ta me. When ya let me into your truck Ah was about at the end of my rope. Ah was at the point of given up. Didn't think Ah would ever have a family again. Then this wild eyed dangerous lookin guy gave me a ride. Ah don't know why even today but Ah knew Ah could trust ya. Running into you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Ah'm sorry Logan but it kills me ta see ya hurt like that."

Logan reach out gently squeezing her shoulder. "Look kid...before I met you I don't remember givin a damn about anybody...including myself. I still ain't sure why the hell I didn't leave you by the side of the road. I guess I was too surprised to find there was someone out there who wasn't scared ta death of me ta think straight. Was the smartest thing I ever done. Thanks ta you kid I finally managed ta get it inta my thick skull that I didn't have ta be alone...that there were some people I could trust...at least there's one person. I appreciate yer tellin me what ya did...I just want ya ta know it goes both ways. What ever happens I ain't about ta forget what ta done for me."

For a second Rogue was confused. Then her expression hardened the anger plain on her face.

"What the hell are ya sayin Logan...please tell me yer not saying goodbye? Ah can't believe you'd just walk out on us. Damn it ya promised me..."

"Calm down darlin. Did anyone tell ya what went down last night?"

"Ya mean sides what happened ta you? I talked to one of the girls. She told me what those bastards did to her sister. I also saw the guy ya brought back. Mah Gawd Ah just can't believe they could hate mutants enough ta do those things."

"Darlin it's not really about mutants...at least the way ya think. Some people just get off on hurtin others...the fact they happen ta be mutants just means they can get away with it. At least they thought they could."

"Ah don't understand...why would what those assholes did make you think you had to leave. Logan we need you here. We need you ta protect us from people like them."

If anything he looked a little embarrassed. He wasn't supposed to need people and he sure wasn't used to the idea that someone needed him

"Look darlin...I'm not planning on leavin. But I may have ta anyway. Ain't what those fuckers did, it's what I did ta them. I'm not sure if Chuck is gonna want me around after he gets a good look at what happened."

"What are ya talkin about Logan? Ah'm sure ya did what ya had ta do ta save...oh shit...how many Logan?"

"Figured I killed about half of the ones that were there. When the building blew up the rest of em bought it. Kinda disappointed me...wouldn't a minded killin em all. Marie ya know I don't normally go outta my way ta do that. You know I don't like using the claws...but when they come out someones gonna die. That's what they gave em to me for. And to tell you the truth it's been awhile since I've run into people who needed killin as much as those fuckers did."

"Logan ya saved their lives. Ah can't believe Xavier would make ya leave the school. Ah'll tell ya something else. No way Ah'm staying if yer not here. If he says ta leave Ah'm leavin too."

Logan stared at her arms across his chest. "No yer not Marie. Yer gonna promise me that no matter what happens yer stayin here." Logan was actually fairly sure that Xavier would want him to stay despite...or was it because of the carnage caught on tape. He had to remember to thank Hank for that little device. Chuck wanted him to be here he was sure. What he wasn't sure of was if he would be able to admit his reasons to the other X-Men.

When he arrived Ororo was already there. Not that he was surprised but he would have liked to have talked to Xavier first. Then again he had enough of this bull shitting around that the old man was up to. Since he was pretty sure what Xavier wanted he'd just have to trust that the old man would be able to figure out how to make the others go along.

"Hello Logan. Thank you for joining us. I am sorry to wake you but we have some matters to discuss concerning what happened last night."

"Not a problem Chuck. Just needed to ta grab a little shut eye. Happens sometimes when the healing factor has ta do too much. How are the kids doin?"

Xavier's expression darkened. "As well as can be expected considering the vicious way they were mistreated. The young man is in serious condition. He was beaten severely and has suffered multiple fractures as well as internal injuries. Hank has managed to stabilize him for the time being and I have engaged the services of a mutant friendly surgeon that I know so that further treatment will be available. Ororo and Hank will fly him to her private clinic tomorrow if his condition does not worsen. The younger girl seems to be settling in and I have allowed her to stay with Rogue and Jubilee for a few days. The older one...Anna...was repeatedly raped and has suffered both physical and emotional trauma as a result. Hank informs me that she should recover from the physiological damage she has suffered. Both he and I as well as Janet have been spending time with her and her sister Mackenzie as been there for her as well. I am hopeful that they will both be able to make a full recovery from the abuse that they have suffered."

"Thanks for tellin me. I sure as hell hope yer right. Now I'm just guessin, but I got a feelin that's not the only reason ya asked me ta come in and see ya."

"Quite right. I believe there are questions we have for you regarding the mission."

Logan frowned. "Chuck I know you got a recording of everything that happened. Don't see how you could have any questions when it's right there in front of ya."

Xavier began to answer but Ororo cut him off. "Don't pretend to ignorance with us Logan. You know perfectly well what this is about. We are supposed to work together as a team. You knew that Peter and I were only minutes away and yet you deliberately went ahead on your own."

"Yer right about that darlin. Just wanted ta make sure we're talkin about the same thing."

Xavier was not happy with where this was going. "Ororo I know you are upset at the outcome of last nights operation and while I sympathize with how you feel..."

"Don't patronize me Charles! I know we have not functioned well since Jean...since Alkali Lake. That still does not excuse what he did. Because he could not control himself twenty people died. While I will not pretend that the deaths of those...men...is something I regret there is still the fact that were it not for your mysterious friend from SHIELD we would almost certainly be finding ourselves in a confrontation with the police and possibly the federal government as well."

Xavier shook is head. "Yes we were most fortunate in that regard. I agree with you that there were a number of problems in regards to what happened last night. However considering the nature of the situation that he found I cannot blame Logan for the fact that what he saw being done to innocents would cause him to react in such a manner. Even the most mild mannered among us have extreme difficulty in maintaining control of their temper in such a situation."

Logan just shook his head. "Come on Chuck...that ain't how it works and you know it. Ain't it time you started bein up front with your own people?"

Storm was confused...was Logan saying that animalistic rage had not been the cause of his actions? "What are you saying Logan? I saw what you were like at Liberty Island. If what happened last night wasn't a result of your losing control what was it?"

"I'll tell ya what it was darlin. I had a pretty good idea what those fuckers were doing and there was no way in hell I was gonna wait ten minutes until you arrived ta do somethin about it. Now if there had only been a few of em I might of decided not to use the claws. But that wasn't a choice now was it. And ya know what...I'm damn glad."

"So what are going to do Logan? Kill every human who abuses a mutant? Do you think that I would not like to visit vengeance on those who attack our kind? Believe me if I chose to do so I could run up a body count that even you would find difficult to imagine."

"I ain't doubting that darlin. And I ain't sayin that this is the way I would normally handle things...no matter what I might want ta do." Logan's right arm came up and he made a fist releasing the claws. "When I use these things people get hurt and some of them die. That's what their made for. Killing plain and simple. Anytime any of us lets go somethin bad can happen. Ya know they never found Toad's body."

Ororo felt her temper rising. The window pane rattled as the distant rumble of thunder was plainly heard. "I cannot believe you of all people would throw that in my face." She began to rise from her chair but Logan's left hand shot out and held her in place.

"Hold on Storm...I'm ain't throwin nothin in yer face...just tryin ta make a point. Ya did what ya had ta to protect yer friends...ta save Rogue. And for that I'll always be grateful. If you and Pete were already there...if Janet had a mutation or Hank was ready ta do more in the field I might of seen clear ta find another way. But that wasn't the way things were and there was no way I was gonna let them go on hurtin those kids one second more."

Xavier could see where this was leading. Ororo was not in the mood to listen and Logan was being...Logan.

"Ororo...Logan...please try to calm yourselves. I think you both need to hear what the other person is saying. Ororo we may disagree whether what happened was for the best but the fact remains that the mission succeeded in rescuing those who were in danger. I am certain that we all agree that it would have been unacceptable to leave the girls in the hands of those animals any longer that was absolutely necessary. Logan while I can sympathize with your actions toward those responsible for this atrocity we are on very thin ice where the government is concerned. If it were not for the intervention of SHIELD we would have a very difficult time explaining to the authorities what happened."

Ororo gave Xavier a shocked look. "Surely you are not saying that because SHIELD was able to clean up our mess that everything is fine. I do not call the deaths of twenty people as well as the explosion that leveled the warehouse the earmarks of a successful mission. It as been my understanding that our priorities were to lay the foundation for human mutant cooperation and to educate those young mutants who find themselves in our care. I was not aware that the X-Men were to be turned into some kind of para military organization."

Xavier shook his head sadly. "Given the present circumstances I am afraid we must revise our priorities. While this school will remain a refuge and place of education for young mutants who have no where else to go the mission of the X-Men will have to assume a greater importance then before. The protection of those under our care and of those who are threatened that we can help seems to me the most important thing now. Please do not mistake me either of you. I am not advocating that we take life indiscriminately nor do I want the X-Men to become a vigilante group. I will not sanction killing for the sake of revenge. Nor will I accept that it is impossible for humans and mutants to live together in peace. However under no circumstances will there be a repeat of what happened when Strykers's men attacked us. We must be prepared to use any means at our disposal to ensure the safety of those under our care."

"Chuck...I ain't a total dickhead. I did what I had ta last night but I ain't gonna go lookin for people ta slice up. Ya know for as long as I can remember the only person I ever cared about was me. Seemed ta work out fine...till I came here. Don't think I want ta go back ta livin like that...don't wanna lose this place. I'll do what ever it takes ta make sure I don't fuck things up for ya...and I don't aim ta let anyone else do it either."

"I was never in doubt of that Logan...in fact I am counting on it."

Ororo looked at her mentor not sure what to believe anymore. "Charles... I understand what you are saying...yet I am not sure if I can agree with you. Until a few weeks ago I know you believed that violence was always the easy way out. It seems to me that what you are proposing will make the war that Erik speaks of inevitable."

Although the question wasn't asked of him Logan answered her. "Ro we already got a war. Only question is how big it's gonna be. Believe me when I tell ya Stryker ain't the only one who wanted ta get their hands on mutants. Those FOH losers were being paid by someone ta grab every mutant they could find."

Xavier was nodding his head. "Henry told me that one of them said as much, boasting about the money they would make."

Logan stood up and began to prowl restlessly around the room. "Chuck...here's something he didn't tell ya. I found the shitheads who were payin em...and one em seemed ta think he knew me... called me Patch...don't know what the hell he was talkin about. Never went by that name that I can remember."

It wasn't very often that Xavier was surprised. "This must have happened after your recording device was disabled. Please recount to me what happened with as much detail as you can remember."

For the next few minutes as Xavier took careful notes Logan told them of his confrontation with the black clad men who seemed to know him even if he could never recall meeting them. Afterward they sat in silence trying to come to grips with this new information. Finally Storm spoke.

"So we have a group of unknowns employing the FOH to capture mutants for them. For what purpose? And if they want mutants so badly why allow the abuse and apparent killing of these mutants by those who they have employed to find them?"

"Don't have a clue darlin...unless...the only one of the four they really wanted was Halley. What kind of powers do the other ones have?"

Xavier's fist smacked his desk top. "Of course! The use an organization of criminals could have for Halley's gift is obvious. While I do not know what Lukes gift is the information on the other girls indicates mutations of the senses and in Mackenzie's case a possible minor feral mutation as well. None of them are Alpha or even Beta class. Apparently only the most powerful mutants are sought. Any others are given over to the FOH as a reward...to do with as they please."

Logan ran his hands through his wild hair. "Not just powerful mutants Chuck. Their lookin for kids...makes it a lot easier ta train em. Bet ya they know where ta find a whole bunch. Sure as hell they'll be showin up here sooner or later trying to grab some of ours." He turned to Ororo hard stare boring into her. "But we ain't gonna let that happen...are we Ro?"

"No Logan we most certainly will not. Charles we need more help. It will be months before Logan's students will be ready to function as X-Men. Even when Scott returns there will only be three of us...unless we can persuade Henry to join the team once more."

"Yes...yes of course." Logan was watching Xavier closely. He'd seen that look on his face once before. The day Jean had died. It was fear. "Kurt will be returning within a week. There are a few others that I can also contact. We will also need to inform SHIELD about this new development. Perhaps they can shed some light on the identity of this new threat."

"Ya sure that's a good idea Chuck? Seems ta me like ya trust these guys more than ya ought ta."

"SHIELD will be eager to learn all it can about this arrangement. Frankly Logan we need some allies. While I do not trust them completely with minor exceptions they have been very helpful so far. The intelligence they possess will be invaluable to us if we are to avoid being caught with our guard down."

"Hey Chuck...didn't Mags used ta be an ally. Look I ain't sayin that this buddy of your is gonna rat us out. I gotta believe ya got a pretty good idea what the inside of his head is like. Problem is he's got a lot of people workin for em. Ain't no way ya can be sure of everybody. Don't tell em everything they want ta know. Just what they need ta know. Believe me that's how their gonna play it."

Xavier often found Logan's paranoia irritating. Yet it was that very same quality (in addition to his belief that almost any problem could be solved by the proper application of violence) that made him useful. Logan would be on his guard about things the rest of them would not consider reasonable. He understood (as Xavier was beginning to) that those who wished to do them harm were motivated by many things few of which would appeal to a healthy mind. Another thing few people would accuse Logan of having. Said person having delivered the message he wanted mumbled his goodbye and made his escape. Sighing Xavier turned to Ororo. He realized that she still had grave doubts about the direction this was all going. It was vital that all her questions were answered before Scott returned. He reflected on how much easier Erik had things. He could not picture his onetime friend ever having doubts about any of his beliefs. Then again he was not a telepath.

He took a long walk in the woods, smoking one of his prized Cubans and thinking about what he had done. For the first time that Logan could remember he had committed himself to something. He was staying in one place for in indeterminate amount of time and placing the safety of others above that of his own. Yet the animalistic side of his psyche was not screaming for him to run. No feelings of fear or anger coming from what he thought as the Wolverine. He knew the others thought of this side of him as a kind of split personality. He was pretty sure Xavier knew different and just went along with what the rest believed as an excuse for his excesses. Hank he was sure knew better.

Stryker had called him an animal and in one very specific sense he was right. What Logan had was not an animalistic personality but rather an animal's instinct for survival. When he first woke up with no memory of who he was or what had happened to him the drive to survive was so powerful and consuming that it kept him from any contact with humans for nearly two years. Over time he achieved a kind of mastery over it and thus found himself able to a limited degree to interact with people. What still eluded him after all these years was the ability to completely control his fight or flight response. If he was cornered or otherwise threatened with real danger the urge to strike out blindly, to kill became almost overwhelming. On the flip side the urge to run when he found himself growing close to people had lead to his nomadic lifestyle. He knew damn well what people were capable of and every time he tried to live among them for any length of time he felt something akin to panic. But it wasn't there now. It was almost like his instinct had gone into hibernation and where before fear had twisted his guts now he only felt calm. That worried him more then he cared to admit. While he often was frustrated at the intensity of his instincts the fact was he had relied on them to keep him alive for a long time. Dropping the butt to the ground he crushed it out and started making his way back.

By the time he returned dinner was already done so he grabbed a burger and then headed down to the gym to lift some weights. As he neared the door he picked up familiar voices. Opening it quietly he slipped in and sat against the wall. Off in one corner Bobby and Pete were sparing. While the contest looked one sided because of the huge difference in size it was Bobby who was obviously getting the better of the deal. Logan shook his head frustrated with Pete's lack of progress. As he watched Drake ducked under the Russian's awkward attack and used a leg sweep to take him down. He grimaced as Pete fell heavily on his rear end. Aware of the difference in size and strength between him and everyone else he spared with he was so busy being worried about hurting his partner that he left himself open to easy attacks. Drake on the other hand was full of confidence in his own abilities. Too confident from where Logan sat. He'd just have to figure a way to take care of both problems.

He turned his attention to the girls. Jubilee was apparently showing off some of her gymnastic skills while the others watched. He was surprised to see one of the new kids with them. For a few seconds he struggled to remember her name. Oh yeah...Mackenzie. Jubilee took a running start did a cartwheel bounced into the air tucking into a somersault landing perfectly balanced on her feet. Mackenzie jumped up and to Logan's surprise neatly duplicated the move. Apparently her mutation gave her cat like agility to go along with the eyes. Marie never one to run from a challenge took a shot next...less successfully. The cartwheel part went right but she couldn't quite bring off the somersault and landed flat on her back. Logan heard her muttered curse and when she raised her head she was looking right at him. Jumping to her feet she ran over followed by the others.

"Logan...Ah thought ya was talkin ta the Professor." He could tell by her tone of voice that she was happy to see him and more then a little worried about how his conversation with Xavier had gone.

"Already done with that kid. Had a good talk with him and Ro...but ya know how much I like yakking. Sides I think Chuck likes it better if he gets me in small doses. So what are ya all doin down here. Thought ya had enough of this place from when we have class here."

Rogue's smile told him she had gotten his message. "Since your sorry ass was gone we missed two days of class. Janet agreed ta come down with us so we could work on some stuff."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Janet. He was going to have to get someone to tell him this story. The kids crowded around him questions coming so fast he could barely follow. Even Drake seemed more open around him then before. Seemed getting blown up did have some benefits. Looking around the room his gaze fell on Jubilee. She was hanging back talking to Mackenzie and...shit...he got a close up look at what she was wearing. Some kind of body suit that looked like someone had painted it on her. What the hell was Chuck thinking letting her walk around in something like that. Jubilee saw Logan's eyes lock on her and she smirked. She had washed all of Mr. Summers cars twice to save enough to buy it. Best damn money she ever spent.

"So ya feelin better Wolvie...because if your up for it I could show ya some of my moves. Maybe you'll see something that you like."

Yup...she was definitely trying to kill him. "Ya know kid I'm gonna be teachin some new moves myself tomorrow. It's called a head lock. If yer so eager ta learn then maybe I could use ya for a demonstration."

He really had tried to sell it...and for a second Jubilee looked a little worried. Then she looked at him and gave him that smile. He knew it well having seen it on the faces of many women over the years. Just never on the face of a seventeen year old girl.

"That sounds great Logan. Maybe I could come to your room tonight so we could practice. I'm sure there's lots of cool stuff you could teach me."

Before he could come up with an answer for that Rogue gave Jubilee an elbow in the ribs. "Down girl. Ah think ya need ta give the man some space. Are ya sure yer feelin alright sugah? None of us would mind if ya wanted ta take a another day off. Ah know my roomie would just love a chance ta sleep in."

"Ain't happening kid. I want all of ya ta have at least one Danger Room session before Summers gets back. That means we got us some work ta do if that's gonna happen. I need ta borrow Janet here for a while. Do me a favor huh...don't any of ya break your necks tryin ta show off." That last was directed at Jubilee.

"Relax dude...I know what I'm doin. Mac here wanted ta meet everyone so Roguey and me brought her along to...junior X-Men gym night. In an hour we're having popcorn and watch cheesy horror movies. Sure ya don't want to join us?"

"Not tonight kid. Don't stay up too late...if yer not on time in the mornin I'll make ya do wind sprints." He turned to go but a quiet voice stopped him.

"Mr. Logan...I just wanted to thank you for...for getting Anna and me out of that...place. I'm really glad that your alright."

Turning around again Logan looked at her. With her eyes fixed firmly on the floor she was still at least a head taller then any of the other girls. She towered over Jubilee. The girl refused to meet his eyes and her face was beet red. For a second he was confused...oh yeah...probably a little embarrassed about how he had seen her yesterday.

What the hell was he supposed to say. Somehow nice to meet you just didn't cut it. He never had to deal with things like this before he came here.

"Hey kid...Mackenzie...could ya look at me darlin." Her head came up eyes meeting his. Cats eyes. "Ya ain't got nothin ta be ashamed of kid. Me on the other hand...I did things I guess I ought a be ashamed of. Ya know what. I don't regret any of those things one bit. The only thing I am sorry for is that I didn't get ta you and yer sister sooner." Figuring a hug would be too much for the girl (not to mention him...he had a reputation to protect) he stuck out his hand. She gave him a little smile stood up straight and shook his hand.

They walked back to the small office at the back of the gym. As soon as he closed the door Janet reach out to him her arms encircling his waist as she hugged him. Caught by surprise Logan suppressed the feeling of panic that always came with an unexpected invasion of his personal space. Sensing his discomfort she quickly stepped back, her brown eyes studying him intently. The man was such a contradiction. At times he behaved as if he thought of no one but himself. But she had also seen the way he was with Rogue...and increasingly with his other students as well. She had first hand knowledge of his capacity for violence, and yet she had just seen him treat Mackenzie with gentleness and respect. At sometime in his past something terrible had happened to him, to her trained eye all the signs were there. Yet despite this he managed to continue on, living as normally as someone who gave the impression of being constantly pissed off could live. He was undoubtedly the most physically beautiful man (except for the scowling) she had ever met. She knew she was attracted to him and that scared her almost as much as the fact that he had metal claws. And right now he was someone she owed an apology. The object of her musings was giving her his best raised eyebrow looking just a little bit confused.

"What the hell was that all about darlin. Not that I mind a good lookin woman who wants ta show her appreciation...but right at the moment I'm feelin a little hunted."

"Relax Logan...I just promised myself I'd do that the moment we had some time alone. Just wanted you to know that I'm glad your alright...and that I'm sorry."

"Don't see why ya need ta be sorry darlin. Ya did real good out there kid. Ain't your fault the damn building blew up."

"It's not about the mission...or at least not about how it went. I...when I saw them I was...I guess I never imagined...I just can't understand..." She broke off, unable to go on tears shining in her eyes.

Logan had a pretty good idea what she was trying to tell him. Ever since she had seen him pop the claws there had been an under current of fear in her scent. Truth be told it was something that bothered him more than it should. He was long past being surprised that others reacted to them in fear. Hell he didn't like them either. In this case he knew it was not the reaction that bothered him...just the fact that it was her. He didn't want Janet Phillips to be afraid of him.

"Come on darlin...ya gotta know that I trust ya. Ain't nothin yer gonna say will change that."

She took a deep shuttering breath fighting her tears unable to look him in the eye. "It's those things...your claws. When I saw then for the first time...I was just frightened. And I guess I've been a little afraid ever since." She took another breath and met his gaze hoping she wouldn't find anger. There was nothing, a totally blank expression. Steeling herself she went on. "I wish I could tell you that it's not you that scares me...but since the claws are part of you I guess I can't. I really am sorry Logan because you've done nothing to earn my fear. In fact you been very good to me ever since I came here. I guess I don't understand how...I mean I know those can't be part of any natural mutation so I'm not sure why anyone would want to...why do you have them?"

Inwardly he was on the edge of losing it. Could she actually believe that he would choose to have them...shit. But as he struggled to control his anger he reminded himself that she was asking not accusing him and that the truth could be even more horrific. What gnawed at him was that in the end he really didn't know the answer to her question. Opening his desk drawer he pulled a folder out and handed it to her. Wordlessly she took it. Inside were copies of the scans Jean had taken during his first hours here. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at them.

"So ya want ta know why. Well darlin if yer lookin for answers ya come ta the wrong place. I wish the fuck I could tell ya that what was done ta me was against my will but I just don't remember. Got no real memory of my life before I woke up naked in the snow about eighteen years ago. The only thing I have is dreams. Fuckin nightmares about people cutting me open like they were guttin a fish and pouring the metal right over my bones. For years I thought they couldn't be real...I mean I knew about the claws but the rest. Well I had an idea but I just couldn't get my head around the fact that someone could actually do this ta me. When I first came here Chuck tried ta use his mind mojo on me but didn't really get any where. All he could do was confirm that the dreams about me getting the claws were really...what the hell did he say...oh yeah...recovered memories of some past trauma resurfacing in my subconscious."

She swallowed hard trying not let the feeling of horror in the pit of her stomach overwhelm her. In light of what had happened to him she could well understand why he acted like he did. It was a wonder the man was sane at all considering what had been done to him. "I don't care whether you remember or not. Nothing could make me believe that you wanted this done to you. It's just..I just can't understand why...what kind of reason would any body have to treat someone like this?"

"Ya know damn well that some people don't need a reason. At least ones that makes any sense. I know where ya used ta work Janet. Only reason I ever came up with was they wanted to turn me into some kind of super assassin. I was gonna be their perfect killing machine. Wish I could say there was no damn way I ever agreed ta go along...but the truth is I got no idea what I was like before the claws."

"I don't think that really matters... at least to me it doesn't. So you have no memories at all of before...before you were altered?"

"Nada darlin. No memories at least. I got nothin ta show for however long I lived before I got the claws. Something has changed though. Since we got back from Alkali Lake I've been havin dreams of things that happened right after they put the Adamantium in me."

She could sense a reluctance in him to go on and decided she needed to push him a little. Only God knew the next time he would be open to having this discussion. "You need to talk to someone about this Logan. Please...please just listen for a second. You can't go on trying to deal with this on your own. If you can't tell me about it then go see Charles but please let someone help you."

He stood straight up fists clenched to his side. He wanted to pace or better yet just get away from her. But the tiny office was too small and if he wanted to leave he'd have to go through her because she had stood up at the same time and was between him and the door. "You think I fucking don't know how screwed up I am. What the hell am I supposed to talk about. The memory that I ain't got."

He was right in front of her, looming over her his face red breathing fast. "No Logan that's not what you need to deal with. What kind of dreams Logan? Don't you see what this is doing to you? Your having exactly the kind of reaction that any victim of trauma is going to have. The first step in dealing with it is trusting someone enough to talk..."

Logan didn't let her finish. He took one step toward her and his next words came out in a low menacing voice. "There just fucking dreams...and I ain't talkin about em with you or anyone else. Now you want ta get out of my fucking way?"

Now she wasn't just afraid of his claws. She didn't believe Logan would ever hurt her. But was he still there? "Don't give me that shit Logan. You know what your experiencing is more then just dreams or you wouldn't be reacting like this. Don't you see it's just like the dream you had about the people who were cutting you open. Horrible things were done to you, things that for a long time were too painful to remember. Some trigger has started the remembering process and whether you like it or not it isn't going to stop."

Something she had said must have gotten though to him on some level. He was frozen before her, face a mask of anger, eyes staring off into space. "Stryker...it was him. He did this to me. Ain't the fucking bastard ever gonna leave me alone!" Then his eyes snapped back to her and his face twisted into a scowl. "Ya happy darlin. Ain't no reason why you shouldn't know the whole fucking story." Reaching for his desk he picked up a slim note book and tossed it at her. She barely caught it before it smacked her in the face. She stared at it for a moment and then looked up at him. The rage was gone...his face was like stone. He gave a little motion of his head and she carefully stepped to one side and he walked out of the office without a backward glance.

Janet returned to her office, stopping by the kitchen first to fix herself a mug of tea. She spent the next hour carefully reading Logan's nearly illegible scrawl recounting in detail the dreams he had been having since Jean's death at Alkali. She managed to get half way through before she found herself crying. It was nearly an hour after she was done before she managed to stop. At times she had to stop reading to keep from vomiting. When Janet had first found out what Logan's mutation was it had been hard for her not to feel jealousy. To always be in perfect health, to never feel the ravages of old age. In fifty years he would look as good as he did today. Janet had never been overtly concerned about her appearance. Even so no one wanted to get old. Now she was faced with the mind boggling downside. No matter how much they tortured him, no matter what terrible things they did, he couldn't die. Again she found herself marveling at the fact that he was sane. She just wondered how long he would stay so if he didn't turn to someone for help. Janet wanted to be the one he turned to but she wasn't sure if that was possible. It wasn't just that he was pissed as hell with her. No...that was the least of her problems. Well if she couldn't do it then she would have to find some other way. Hopefully Logan would cooperate. Because there was no way Janet Phillips would stand aside and watch the man she was falling in love with lose his sanity or run from this place.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for all the encouragement Dee. I'm not so much apologizing as lamenting. Sometimes I find writing convincing dialog to be very difficult. When I read what you and RiannonUk have written it really motivates** **me to work on my own story. Thanks. I know you're an angst fan RhiannonUK so here's some more. Also more hormones coming soon. Thanks N.Beresford for the kind word. Glad you're enjoying it. As always comments and constructive criticism are welcome.**

**Disclaimer: X-men are property of Fox and Marvel.**

Rogue was fed up with Logan's bullshit. For the past three days he hadn't spoken two words to anyone outside of barking at them during training. As soon as their sessions were over he would disappear into the woods that covered much of the grounds around the school. As far as anyone could tell he stayed out until after supper and then he locked himself in the gym with Pete for a couple of hours after which Logan would light out on his bike not returning until God knows when. At first she had thought that it was just Logan needing a little space. Then she got a little worried that he was distancing himself from everyone...getting the urge to wander again. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Even if she was wrong (he had promised her) she knew that he wouldn't talk to anyone about whatever was bothering him. Well she just wouldn't give him a choice.

Another useless fucking night. In the past few days he'd hit every bar within a thirty mile radius of the school. Nothing but college kids who didn't know how to drink or sports bars serving watered down overpriced booze. He had not been able to find a single dive bar any where in the area. No fights, no decent pool...what the hell was the world coming to? Not that he had any trouble finding someone to take his mind off his current problems. He had spent less then ten minutes at the last place downing half a dozen shots when he was approached by a college kid who introduced herself as Jenny. She was a real looker and by the scent she was giving off she was more than willing. She talked for twenty minutes while he listened. Then she told him she lived in an off campus apartment two miles away. In the end he bought her a drink and sent her away and that just pissed him off even more. What the hell was wrong with him? If this had happened six months ago he and the gal would be fucking their brains out by now. That's what he did. Along with wandering around and beating the shit out of people for money (and fun). Look at him now. He lived at a school full of kids and people who wanted to help save the world. He'd just walked away from sex with an eager young woman. That was damn peculiar behavior for most men, let alone him. Then again he had been doing a lot of things lately that never would have entered his mind before.

Turning off the road he steered his bike down the long driveway. As he approached the gate he thumbed a button and it swung open letting him pass. Approaching the garage he cut the engine and let the bike roll to a stop walking it the last twenty feet inside. It was after he had parked it that he noticed her scent. And heard her soft snoring. What the hell it was almost three in the morning. He walked past Summer's collection of pocket rockets, past Xavier's Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. In the far corner sat the red Miata that had belonged to Jean Gray. Rogue was slouched in the passenger seat fast asleep. Logan couldn't help but smile at the sight. He pulled a pair of gloves out of his leather jacket and tugged them on. Placing his hand on her shoulder he gave her a gentle nudge. The young woman rolled on her side and mumbled something even he couldn't pick up. Logan tried again, shaking her a little more firmly.

"Come on darlin, time ta wake up. Can't have ya sleepin out here all night."

"Please Jubes just a few more...oh my God. Logan what are you...shit what time is it?"

"About three in the mornin. Marie what's the deal? Why are you here and not sleepin in yer own bed?"

Rogue open the car door and stepped out. By the look on her face he knew she wasn't too happy with him. "Ah'm here cause yer stalking around this place for the last three days makin everyone nervous with yer growlin. Ah'm sick of it. So Logan...ya want ta tell me what wild hair ya got up yer ass this time? Cause Ah ain't leavin you alone until we get this settled"

"Ain't nothin to settle kid. I got nothin ta say ta you. Just get yer butt up ta bed right now."

"No way in hell Logan! Ah don't know what your problem is but yer not gonna order me around like some kid afer the way you been actin. Ya don't want ta talk ta me about it fine. Talk ta the professor... but you gotta do something or yer gonna drive me outta mah mind. Please Logan...Ah know you. Ah know ya can't go on like this. You'll either lose yer temper and do somethin ya'll regret or take off runnin again."

He knew she was upset...on the edge of panic really. It was a bitch to have people depending on you. You had to deal with shit when it came up not just ignore it or leave. Logan ran his hands through his hair. Marie had turned her head looking away from him apparently afraid of what she might find in his eyes. Reaching out with one gloved hand he lifted her chin so she was looking him in the eye.

"I ain't leavin kid...so just relax huh. Had a little difference of opinion with Phillips. Kinda pissed me off. I just needed some space is all. Marie ya know I been on my own for a long time. Sometimes I just need ta get away for a bit. Just got to feelin a little closed in. Doesn't mean I'm gonna up and leave this place...or you. Come on kid...let me walk ya to yer room."

He laid an arm across her shoulders and almost right away she seemed to calm down. They walked up the stairs and he took the opportunity to give her a brief account of what had happened between him and Janet. When they reach her room she gave him a look like he was a little kid...a real slow little kid.

"Ya big dummy. Is that what this is all about? Seems ta me like Janet should be the one stomping around instead a you. She just asked ya ta talk ta her so she could help ya and you jump all over her like she just smoked your last cigar. No...don't give me that crap about how ya don't need any help. Are ya ever gonna get it Logan...that's what people do when they care about ya...they try and help ya."

"Ain't no help for it darlin. But I do see yer point. Guess I might be have been a little over the top the way I reacted to her. Ok...ok...I know I was. Say what the hell happened with you and her. Last I knew ya couldn't stand having her around."

"She's a good listener...and don't try and change the subject. Ah'm goin ta bed. You know what ya need ta do. Your students are sick of Logan the grumpy bear. Please make him go away. Ah also think ya need ta make things right with Janet...but that's up ta you Logan."

God ...she really didn't want to get up. Janet Phillips had not slept well the last few nights. Sleep had come hard as she lay in bed her confrontation with Logan playing out over and over in her head. While she felt bad about pushing him she was also angry at the way he had treated her. It reminded her too much of the confrontations she'd had over the years with abusive men at the shelter. She was still puzzled over how quickly he had gone from being open about sharing with her how he had come to have the claws to suddenly becoming enraged over her demand that he talk about the disturbing nightmares that he was having. She wondered why he was unwilling to see them for what she was certain they were, actual memories of some kind of perverted experimentation. They were just dreams he had said. Certainly if that's what he wanted to believe her insistence that they were real could have triggered his angry reaction. Logan had struck her as more the hard headed realist, but then again she didn't know if anyone could face accepting what she had read in his diary as real things that had happened to them without some level of denial. And fear. She knew that there was no way she would have believed it were possible to do those things to someone if she had not already seen his mutation in action.

Groaning she rolled out of bed. She knew what her real problem was. It was difficult for her to be objective where Logan was concerned. She wanted to help the man and not just because of the attraction she felt toward him. If any person deserved a chance to be free of his demons it was him. From what he told her and what she had been able to piece together from others Logan had lived his life virtually cut off from human contact before he came to Xavier's. This place was a chance for him, maybe his only chance to learn to live with and trust people. Regardless of what she might feel or what kind (if any) relationship she might one day have with the man she was determined to do what ever she could to help him to take that chance.

He didn't approach her until right before the afternoon training session. He knew that she always came to the gym a half hour early to stretch and perform her daily Tai Chi routine. When he arrived she was nearly done with her form so he just stood by the door and admired the way she moved seamlessly from position to position. She was barefoot dressed only in shorts and a sports bra. No doubt he had known and been with better looking women then Janet. But he'd never met one who could hold a candle to her when she was moving...and he'd seen some pretty memorable moves.

"Hello Logan...training doesn't start for fifteen minutes."

He thought he'd surprise her, but she had been aware of him since he walked in the door. "Just thought I'd come down early so I could admire the view."

Janet looked at him her head tilted to one side the expression on her face telling him he had not made a good start on this. "You know Logan if your trying to tell me your sorry admitting to checking me out isn't the best way to start." Smirking at the confusion written on his face she walked over to the cloths she had placed on the bench. She preferred working out as unencumbered as possible but she couldn't be dressed like this if she was sparring with Rogue.

"So...I'm guessin ya spent some time with Rogue."

"We talked at breakfast. What was it she said...oh yea that you needed to...'get his head out of his ass and stop acting like a jerk to everybody'...sorry...I'm not good with accents."

"Ya know yer enjoyin this a little too much darlin. But the kid was right. Didn't like what ya were tellin me the other day but that ain't a reason to be an asshole ta everyone...especially ta you. Shouldn't a got mad at ya for no good reason...and I damn well was wrong ta cuss ya out like I did. Don't really know why I got pissed like I did...ya didn't do nothin ta deserve it..."

"No Logan that's not true. We both know why you got angry. Look I know you don't want to talk about this and there's nothing I can do about it if you don't...but I'm not going to pretend that you and I don't know why this happened. I read your diary."

"Told ya before...ain't nothin but dreams...don't want ta talk about it..."

"And I think you should but that's your decision to make. Just don't expect me to believe what your telling me because that's not something I can do"

"Damn it we ain't gonna get any where like this." Why did she have to keep pushing him on this? The fear he felt when he thought about those dreams...what he had already seen...and worse the things he might yet to see.

Janet shook her head struggling to keep her own anger in check. "Ok...I guess you're right about that. I know that I pushed you the other day and I'm sorry if I went too far. I just thought that if you could talk to someone about what happened to you..."

"...that it might help me? Yea darlin...that's what Rogue said ta me. Yer only tryin to help cause ya care about what happens ta me. Ain't really used ta anyone givin a shit about me...sometimes the idea is a little hard for me ta deal with. Look darlin...I'm sorry about what happened. Don't want us to be pissed off at each other. Doesn't help when we're workin with the kids and ta tell ya the truth I don't like how it feels bein mad at ya.. What do ya say we make a deal. We leave things alone for awhile...just drop talkin about it. Now wait...just let me finish. If the damn dreams get worse or if I ain't handlin em like I should I'll talk ta someone...either you or Chuck. What do ya say."

Giving him a smile she reached to shake the hand he held out pleased that he showed none of his usual hesitation at being touched. "It'd a deal Logan...and thank you."

"For what darlin...not actin like an asshole to ya?"

She laughed and he realized that he liked it when she laughed...she didn't do it enough as far as he was concerned. He shook himself mentally. The only other person he thought of in those terms was Marie.

"No Logan...for taking me seriously...for trusting me. I can only imagine how hard that is for you. Besides your hardly ever an asshole when your around me."

"Gee thanks. Got something else I want ta ask ya. Now that you and Marie seem ta be best buddies I was wondering if ya wouldn't mind spendin so extra time workin with Kitty, Jubilee and her."

They made plans for Janet to work with the girls three evenings a week on training with the bow staff, something that Janet had years of experience with. The other two nights Logan would work with them on using edged weapons. She asked him what he and Pete were up to but Logan wouldn't tell her anything beyond that it was a surprise and she would find out soon enough. Just as they finished their students came bouncing in. Janet felt like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. She was still worried about him, but at least he was no longer distancing himself from everyone. What ever happened he had promised to seek help if the dreams got to be too much for him. For now that would have to be enough.

The next day Logan and Janet introduced their class to the Danger Room. Ororo spent an hour carefully explaining to them what it was and what it could do. Then she went up to the control room to run a few simple simulations so that Logan could give them a more hands on demonstration. With safety controls set to the maximum and Logan right beside them they were each allowed to punch out the holographic equivalent of one drunk mugger. All in all he was pleased with their progress. Even Kitty got in a few good licks after she squealed and phased when her target loomed out of the shadows. Of course at this level it was almost like fighting your grandmother. Still it was a start. Looking up to signal Ro to start the final session (for Jubilee who as usual showed off by flipping over the target and hitting it from behind) Logan caught a glimpse of somebody up there with her.

It was Anna Harper. Logan was more then a little surprised not having seen the girl since the night he had rescued her and her sister nearly a week ago. Ororo had informed him the other day that Anna was staying with her in the attic loft but apparently she never came out because he hadn't seen her at all, even during meals. For a moment they lock eyes then she back away from the glass. Logan wondered if the reason the girl didn't show herself was because she might be afraid of him. He'd have to ask Xavier about that. He turned his attention to more pleasant things, like yelling at Jubilation Lee.

It was late that night when she found him. He had just finished his perimeter sweep and was sitting on the patio enjoying a cigar. He heard the glass door slide open and his first thought was that he must have said something stupid during the Danger Room session and Marie was coming out to call him on it. Sniffing the air he realized it was Anna. Suddenly he wished that he was fighting Sabertooth. Slowly he turned his head until he could see her. Even though it was dark he had no problem picking her out standing just inside the open door. She smelled nervous but the expression on her face wasn't fear...more like curious. After a little hesitation she came over and sat across the table from him.

He took a drag on the cigar while he struggled to think of something to say. She made a face as she waved away the smoke.

"You shouldn't smoke those things...they're bad for you...and they stink."

"Sorry for the smell kid but this is the only place around here that they let me smoke em."

He noticed the nervousness in her scent take a big jump. She was just staring at his cigar. Shit! Suddenly it came to him in a flash of memory. The burns on her arms. Trying to be casual about it he flicked the stogie away from them into Ororo's garden. Immediately her posture relaxed and her scent returned to normal.

"Sorry...I don't mean to be freaksome but they still make me nervous."

"Ain't nothin ta be sorry about kid. We all got little things that bother us. Me..I don't like bein under water. Thought of it scares the livin hell outta me."

She was just looking at him so intently. "Really...I know it's stupid but I just can't help it. So water...being under water is really scary to you."

"Yea it is...and it ain't stupid. Ain't no one ever told me I was stupid cause I don't like bein under water. Don't let em tell you either."

She gave a frustrated huff. "But I can't go around freaking whenever anyone wants to smoke."

He met her nervous gaze. "Took me awhile...and it still bugs me...but I finally got around ta learnin how ta swim. Even learned how ta stick my head under water."

"How...how did you do that. I mean how did you stop being afraid?"

"Never did figure out how ta stop being afraid of the water. First few times I tried it I was so scared I almost puked. Still don't like swimming all that much. But I wasn't gonna let those fuckers win."

Her eyes looked wet. "Sometimes I just want to crawl in hole and die. I'm so fucking sick of being scared. The Professor and Janet are real nice. They told me that I didn't do anything wrong...that I didn't deserve this. But if I didn't do anything why did those men treat me like a fucking whore."

"Anna scumbags like that don't need no reason other than they enjoy hurtin people. I don't know you from Adam but I'm damn sure you didn't deserve what was done ta ya. Same way I know I didn't deserve these." Making a fist he released the claws of his right hand letting them come out slowly hoping not to frighten her. Her hand flew to her mouth and for a second he thought she was going to be sick. Instead she reached out and he had to quickly turn his hand so the dull side of the blades faced her.

"Careful kid...these things could slice your fingers off if ya touch em wrong."

She ran a single finger lightly down the back of one. "I can't...I thought I must have imagined it. I mean I remember what happened but I was sure it couldn't really have happened. Sorry sometimes I babble when...when I'm nervous. So...there's no way that's natural...I mean shit you got metal claws."

Logan sighed. He hated telling people what had happened. Just the other day he had told Hank to fuck off when he had asked for details. Slowly he retracted the claws and let her watch while within seconds the raw wounds between his knuckles disappeared. "Claws ain't my mutation kid. I heal from anything and I got real good senses...much better then a normal...or any mutant I ever met either. The claws were put in me by some bunch of sick fuckers a long time ago. Cut me open and poured the metal right over my bones. The water...water thing...the reason it bugs me. Strapped me down in a fuckin tank full a some kinda green liquid when they put the metal in my body. Being under water brings it all back." As he talked his voice had gotten lower and lower finishing in a soft growl.

She swallowed the lump in her throat looking away. The just sat there not speaking for a few minutes. When she finally lifted her head tears were streaming down her face. "Janet told me I should talk to you. At first I said no...I didn't want to...after the way you had seen me with those men. She said that you would understand better then anyone...what it was like...to have stuff done to you. I didn't believe her...how would you fucking know. You're a man. But she was right...she was right. Logan how did you...after it happened how did you go on. How am I supposed to live with this?"

"Ain't the best person to ask that kid. Don't know what the hell Janet was thinkin...she knows damn well I ain't never done a good job dealin with what those fuckers did ta me. Ain't gonna lie ta ya. Took me a lot of years before I could even think ta stop lookin over my shoulder. Guess the only thing I can tell ya is don't handle things like I did. Don't cut yerself off from people that can help ya...don't try and deal with all this shit on yer own. I wasted a lot o years before I came here tryin ta do things my way...figured if I stayed away from everyone the fuckers couldn't get ta me again. That ain't no way ta live kid."

"How can I face everyone here if they all know what happened...what they did to me? I feel bad enough when I talk with Janet or Professor Xavier. I just don't think I could deal with everyone feeling sorry for me and trying to help me."

"I know what ya mean...some things ya just don't want ta talk about. I know the older kids...the ones your age pretty well. Some of them had it real rough before they came here so they'll know when ta give ya space. When I first came here didn't know what the hell ta think of the place. Brought a girl I found on the road with me...her parents tossed her out cause of her mutation. Told me more than once that she thinks of Xavier's as her family now. If yer not sure about getting ta know anyone try Rogue first. I think yer sister's been stayin in her room since ya both got here."

He could tell that at least she was thinking about what he had said. He was just about to suggest they both needed to get some sleep when he saw the car coming up the schools drive way. They both watched as it stopped briefly at the gate which opened to let it through. Continuing on the car turned toward them and they were briefly illuminated before it passed on heading for the garage. He had a pretty good idea who was driving so when Anna started to get out of her chair he motioned for her to wait.

"Relax kid...no reason ta be afraid. I 'm pretty sure ...make it damn sure I know who that is. Ain't gonna hurt ya plus he don't know anything about ya. Give it a try kid...all ya got ta do is say hi and I'll let ya make yer escape."

The sat in the darkness for a few minutes Anna trying with little success to calm her nerves. Just when she was sure that whoever it was Logan was talking about would not be putting in an appearance she heard the glass doors she had come through sliding open. A tall man wearing what looked like sunglasses stepped out onto the patio. Since it was dark he apparently didn't notice her at first.

"Logan...I thought it was you. Aren't you...oh...sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"Not a problem. Anna and I were done anyway."

Scott Summers was well used to putting people at ease. Even though he was dead on his feet after driving for a day and a half straight he always liked meeting a new student. "Hello Anna, I'm Scott Summers." He extended a hand and for a second he thought he'd made a big mistake. She just sat there staring at him and his first thought was that her mutation might be something that was transferred by touch. She looked at Logan and then back at him and he was about to pull back and apologize for his blunder when her hand snaked out and took his.

"Hi...it's um...it's nice to meet you. I'm...really tired so I think I'll go to bed now."

She was up and though the door so fast that all Scott could do was watch. Logan seeing the confused expression on his face decided to have mercy on him.

"Relax Summers...ya didn't do anything. Kids been though some bad shit and she's just a little nervous around people she don't know."

"Ok...I guess I'm too tired to even want to know why she's sitting out here with you at two in the morning. I don't get it Logan. Why aren't you in Canada beating the crap out of rednecks?"

"Got two words for ya Summers...fuck you. We do our runnin at six...that's A. M. Meet us down by the wildflower garden." He couldn't help a small smile when Scott began cursing. For some reason he was suddenly in a much better mood. Funny that Summers could have that effect on him. Tomorrow was going to be a beautiful day.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**A/N: Dee you're great for my ego. Despite my complaining I enjoy doing this and the fact that you enjoy reading it makes me feel like I'm doing pretty good. Glad you like the dialogue Rhia because there's a lot more of it in this chapter. N.Beresford is this quick enough? Thanks guys for the reviews. Anybody who is reading this feel free to let me know what you think. Whoa...just uploaded this. Didn't realize how big it was.  
**

"Come on Mr. Summers...only one more mile to go"

Scott groaned cursing under his breath. Ok he didn't expect to be able to keep up with Logan or Janet after three weeks of not running. But to have Kitty urging him on...shit. The worst part of all this was she really did mean it. She was feeling sorry for him. At the moment so was he. This was the first time in five years he had gone for a run without Jean. Just another reminder of how much he missed her. That was the reason he blew everything off yesterday, his first day back. But whether he went running or just holed up in his room memories of Jean were everywhere. He told himself on the drive back that he was fine with that. He didn't want to forget her after all. But the reality was still painful. Well he'd just have to suck it up. Lowering his head he willed himself to run faster despite the burning in his lungs.

Scott looked up from the sheets of paper Logan had handed to him. Detailed evaluations of the strengths, weakness, and progress of the five junior X-Men. Along with a schedule of their daily training activities. Some parts of which he found rather alarming.

"You...typed this?"

Logan looked at him like he had grown another head. "What...are ya nuts. Can't type worth a shit. Half-pint did it. Spoke inta a tape recorder and she typed it up a couple of days ago. After Chuck said ya were comin back." At Summers expression his voice grew impatient. "Relax Summers I didn't make her do it. Paid her...and she even made me agree ta cook in her place for the meal on Sunday."

"No...I didn't think...I just didn't expect you to do something like this. Thanks. Guess I'll have to eat out tomorrow."

"Very fuckin funny. Don't worry...ain't much for cookin but even I can handle burgers on the grill. Ya might wanna avoid the salad though. Jubilee is makin that and the kid is just dangerous when it comes ta anything involvin food. All the kids are doin something except for Kitty since she helped me with this. Before ya say anything it was Janet's idea...same as this report. She just thought ya might like seein all this stuff on paper."

"Well it's...uh...nice of you...damn it Logan I don't know if your going to want me helping you with this. I don't know if I should...I mean you've got the girls working with knives and swords according to this schedule. Does Xavier even know about this? I can't believe he or Janet would go along with this kind of training."

Logan gave him a hard stare. He knew this was coming and he figured now was as good a time as any to get this behind them. Or not. When he originally agreed to train Marie and her friends it was with the assumption that he wouldn't have to interact with the leader of the X-Men. He wasn't going to stay here past the end of summer so he didn't need to make nice. If Xavier or Summers tried to interfere or tone down what he was going to teach the kids he'd just tell them to fuck off and go. Since he was pretty sure Xavier wanted him instructing the kids like he was but didn't want to admit to it he left the how of dealing with Summers up to Chuck. All that was out the window now. Logan was committed for the foreseeable future and because of that he needed to find some kind of common ground with Scott. Besides while he didn't exactly like the guy he knew the reason for most of their pissing contests boiled down to one word: Jean.

"You think there's anything goin on here that Chuck don't know about? Ain't a question of what I want...ain't a question of what you want. The kids asked me and I'm doin it. Don't really care if ya like what I'm teachin em but instead of gettin pissed about it maybe ya should ask why. These kids signed up ta be X-Men. That means they're gonna need every trick in the book if ya don't want ta see them get hurt...or killed. Don't know what kinda world you live in Summers but it ain't the real one."

"Who the fucking hell do you think you are? You know what Logan...I don't give a damn what your teaching them. When those kids are ready to be part of the team their going to fight the way I tell them to or they're not going to be X-Men. I helped the Professor train all the original members of the team long before Ororo and I dragged your sorry ass back from Canada. I don't know what the hell Xavier was thinking when he asked you to do this but even if he's willing to put up with your bullshit I'm not."

Logan shook his head and smiled. Not a friendly smile at all. "Ya know I'm just guessin here but seems ta me that Chuck might be thinkin that yer little X-Team might not be workin too damn well. Think about it Summers. We got our heads handed ta us at Liberty Island. Fuckin Toad was kickin all yer asses while that blue bitch was kickin mine. Then Mags scoops us up without breakin a sweat. The team your so fucking proud of did a piss poor job then, and I don't even have ta tell ya how bad things went tryin ta deal with Stryker."

Scott's face twisted into a sneer. "You're the one that brought Stryker here Logan. How the hell did he find out about us? He was looking for you and you lead him right to our doorstep."

"Ya can believe that if ya want...might even be true. Did a lot of thinkin about how it might not be a good idea me stayin here. Could be more shits like Stryker out there lookin for me. Don't really know. If I find out there are...well then I'm gone. Only problem with what yer saying Summers is we both **know **the reason Stryker was here. He wanted Chuck and Cerebro. And we both know how he found out about em. You and Chuck were the ones that decided ta turn Mags over ta the feds. Then they used him ta find out everything they needed so they could come after us.

The pain in Scott's voice when he answered told Logan that none of this was news to him. "What would you have done Logan? Was I supposed to kill a defenseless man because he was going to turn over information I didn't know he had to enemies I didn't know existed?"

Logan's answer came in a low growl. "Do ya really need ta ask what I would a done? The bastard almost killed Rogue. He almost killed every damn normal on the planet. He don't give a shit what he has ta do or who he has ta hurt ta get what he wants. What the hell made you and Chuck think letting him live was anything but a fucking disaster waiting to happen?"

"I don't expect you to understand this Logan, but murder is not what we are about here. Everything you said about Magneto is true. He's a ruthless homicidal maniac and the world would be better off without him. But if I had killed him at Liberty Island I'd be no different then him"

"Last I knew Cyke you and Chuck weren't plannin ta take over the fuckin planet. That's the difference. Ya don't go out of yer way ta take on anybody that ain't botherin ya. Ya don't go lookin ta kill people that ain't done ya any harm. But ya never let someone who tried ta **murder** one of your own, someone who's your fucking enemy walk away if ya got the chance ta get rid of em. Ya ain't got the stomach for it...fine. Just stay outta my way."

"Sorry Logan but your brains are even more scrambled then I thought if you think I'm going to stand aside while you kill people. If fact, if I have anything to say about it you aren't going to be going on missions...at least while I'm leading the X-Men."

"Better talk ta Chuck then...last I knew he's the one that decides who goes on missions. Sides how ya gonna stop me Cyke?" Logan leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. "Ya gonna murder me?" Before Scott could respond to that Logan was out the office door.

"Come on Roguey...ya can't sleep in today...it's shopping day!

Marie looked at her alarm clock and groaned. It was eight A.M. Sunday. The one day they had off from training. The one day she didn't have to be up and running at six in the morning and Jubilee of all people was already up, fully dressed, and apparently suffering from a self inducted sugar high (three bowls of Count Chocula). Shopping day! Oh yea...today was the day they were supposed to take Mackenzie to the mall. But..."Jubes are ya nuts...the mall doesn't open till eleven on Sundays. Go bug someone else for a couple of hours. Ah'm sleepin."

Before Rogue could drag the blanket over her head Jubilee reached out with gloved hands to snatch it away. "Come on dude...we got plans to make. Wolvster said we only had three hours to get what we need. That means we gotta like map out our strategy...shit I sound like Mr Bummers."

"Jubes...don't call him that! Ah can't believe yer still mad at him because of English class."

"Nah...it's not just English. I never really got along too good with him or Jean. When I first came here I was...well you know what happened to me and I was...I didn't really want anyone besides the Professor or Ms. Munroe to know about all my shit. He wasn't too happy about that. Said something to the Prof about me maybe being a security risk. After him and Jean gave me the third degree a couple of times I complained about it and they stopped. But he was like always on my ass about my swearing or my attitude."

"Sorry Jubes...Ah didn't know. Ya know he's been under a lot of stress. Ah know you don't like to hide how ya feel but the guy really could use a break."

"Not to worry Roguey...like nothing could ruin my happy shopping mood. I'm gonna go wake up the Macster. We'll meet you in the kitchen in thirty minutes. Now don't forget the most important part of our shopping mission...at least for me."

"Ah don't know how Ah can keep Logan from finding out Jubes. Ya know the man watches us all like a hawk when evah were outside the school. The way he's bein Mr. Security lately Ah'm surprised he's even lettin us go."

"No you're not...he can't say no to you Roguey." Jubilee said this with a smile but Marie was sure there was an undercurrent of jealousy. Her best friend was getting just a little frustrated with her inability to attract Logan's attention. At least the kind of attention she wanted.

Jubilee saw the look of concern on Marie's face and thinking she was worried about Logan's reaction she laid her gloved hand on Rogue shoulder. "Relax chica...you just have to make sure Wolvie doesn't see me going in. I'll take care of the rest."

Rogue looked at the gloved hand of her friend and smiled. Jubilee made it a point to always have gloves on whenever she was around. In fact she thought the Asia girl wore them almost as often as she did. "Ok Jubes...Ah just hope ya know what yer doin."

"Not a problem girl...I never know what I'm doing."

What the hell was he doing in a mall? Of course he already knew the answer to that stupid question. Rogue. The kid had worked on him for three days before he just gave up and said yes. Next time he'd just save himself the trouble and do what she asked right away. He was currently parked outside a clothing store that looked exactly like the other three clothing stores they had already visited. Thank God he didn't actually have to enter any of the places. That was Janet's job. All he had to do is make sure no evil mutants or racist assholes tried anything while the all important shopping was in progress. And carry all the bags.

From deep inside the current store he heard Jubilee squeal, "That is totally you chica...lets add it to the pile." Of course he had no idea who the girl was saying it to or what the article of clothing in question was since that was apparently what she said to everything anyone tried on. Logan had to admit that squealing aside he was damn glad the kid was along. Not that he knew anything about shopping but even Logan knew an expert when he saw one. She seemed to have a plan and she was sticking to it. That was fine with him because the last thing he wanted to do was wander aimlessly around a place like this. In and out and the sooner the better.

On the whole she was pleased with their progress. Operation "Find Macster A Wardrobe" was going according to plan so far. But when it came to shopping Jubilee never left anything to chance. The rest of her life might be nothing but a string of random events but she refused to leave the acquisition of material goods to chance. They had two more stops to make. Coats and of course the all important foot wear. Only one store would do for shoes and fortunately it was right next to her own objective. She would add an important weapon to her own arsenal, one crucial to her other mission... hooking up with Wolvie.

Janet was pleased with how well everything was going. When Logan had agreed to actually take the girls shopping she decided that she couldn't let him face this alone. She also wanted to get some time to talk with him. Anna had told her of their conversation on the patio. Janet could tell that what he had said to the girl had made a difference. Plus there was the whole Logan-Scott macho strutting dynamic that she felt Logan could use a break from. The girls were walking ahead of them lost in conversation.

"How are you holding up?" She knew that with his senses a place like this had to be unpleasant.

"S'ok...the noise ain't so bad...it's just the smell of the place. Can't believe that stupid woman was gonna try and squirt me with that stinkin crap." Said women had dropped the cologne on the floor when Logan had growled at her and the sneezing fit that had resulted had lasted several minutes.

"You know Logan...what you said to Anna...she told me about your little talk. You made quite an impression on her."

"Just glad I didn't scare the hell out of her."

Oh no she thought...your not getting away with that. "You helped her...a lot. Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

He ran his left hand through his hair. She knew that gesture well. That was what he did when something made him nervous or on edge. "Darlin I scare people...a lot of times I piss em off...don't go around helpin em"

"You helped Rogue. Your helping our students learn how to survive in a hostile world. What you told Anna was something she really needed to hear and she needed to hear it from you."

"You weren't there. Kid came ta talk...said you thought she outta. And there I was smokin a cigar...remindin her of how those fuckers tortured her. Couldn't just leave it at that cause I know how that go's. Kid didn't deserve ta think feelin like that was her fault."

"Well I don't think she does anymore. And like it or not it's because of you."

Logan was trying to get his head around what she was telling him. "Ya know kid...ya don't really know me. Ya think ya do but yer wrong. I ain't a good guy Janet. If ya knew what I was really like...if ya knew some of the things I've done...I don't think we'd be havin this talk."

"You're right Logan...at least about one thing. I don't know you very well. We only met a few weeks ago. Then again I can only go by what I see. Logan you can be an ass sometimes but then you turn around and do something like what you did for Anna and I just...well I can't tell you how much I admire you for staying human after everything you've been through."

Now Logan was running both hands through his spiky hair. Janet's smile quickly changed to a frown when he stopped abruptly, started cursing, and veered suddenly left toward the food court. She called out to the girls and they followed. He was walking so fast that she practically had to run to catch up. As they entered the area where people sat while eating she saw what had caused him to change direction so suddenly. Two kids were sitting at a table right in the middle of the food court surrounded by fours teenaged boys who were shouting obscenities at them. The reason for this behavior was the appearance of the younger one who looked to be about fourteen. It was difficult for Janet to be sure because she had feathers for hair. A stocking cap lay on the ground nearby. One of the boys had apparently noticed what she was trying to hide and had pulled it from her head exposing her secret. Sitting with the girl was a younger boy...he looked twelve at most. They shared enough features in common to make Janet suspect they were siblings. They also shared terrified expressions.

Logan and Janet stopped about ten feet away. No one else was making a move to intervene. There was a security guard standing off to one side but the man seemed to be enjoying himself. People had cleared the area around the table and a few were even shouting encouragement to the four teens, who's language and posture seemed to be getting more threatening even as they had approached. Suddenly one made a grab for the girl. The boy shot out of his chair driving his shoulder into the older kid's gut and they both went down in a heap. One of the teen's partners joined in and together they began to beat and kick the smaller boy laughing as the girl screamed for them to stop. Logan started to move toward them but Janet grabbed his arm, holding on for dear life.

"No Logan...you can't...they're minors. If you hurt them and they find out you're a mutant things could get ugly for the school. We need to call the police."

She knew if he wanted to Logan could shake her off like a bug and she could feel him trembling with suppressed rage. "Fuckin little shits! I ain't gonna just stand here a watch em beat on that kid."

Jubilee looked at Rogue who simply nodded. Before Logan or Janet could do anything the girls grabbed food trays from a nearby table and brought them crashing down on the heads of the boy's tormentors. Janet went to intervene but this time Logan held her back.

"Relax darlin...let's just enjoy the show."

The two remaining bullies turned away from the girl to face Jubilee and Rogue. "You mutie loving bitches! I'm gonna ...Aaargh." Jubilee's roundhouse kick snapped his head back and he stumbled falling over the table behind him.

"Shut up you sack of shit! Look out Roguey! "

His partner grabbed Rogue's arm but before he could gain an advantage her free hand snaked out grasping his thumb and bending back until it snapped. She followed up with a palm strike breaking his nose and he fell screaming to the tile floor. The kid Jubilee had kicked staggered to his feet, took one look at what had happened to his friend and took off running. From start to finish it was over in ten seconds. It was almost two hours before they were finished with the police.

Janet was right. They were siblings, though only the girl was a mutant. Their parents arrived at the mall while Logan was talking with the police so Janet explained to them a little about Xavier's school. As it turned out they were fine with their daughters mutation although very angry about how it made her a target for abuse. For now they wanted to continue with home schooling the girl, but offered that at some point they would be open to having her attend as a day student. During the drive back to the mansion the girls chattered excitedly about the fight. Logan on the other hand was withdrawn and tense. Janet asked him what was wrong and he gave her a brief summary of his confrontation with Scott yesterday.

"Just gonna be more of the same when we get back. Summers ain't gonna let this go."

"I can't believe he could possibly be mad about what happened. You didn't do anything. If fact considering what was going on I think you showed remarkable restraint."

Logan just shook his head. "You'll see. Cyke ain't too happy with me right now...especially after our little talk. I gotta feelin that no matter what we say it's gonna end up bein my fault."

From the back seat Jubilee piped up. "Nuh uh dude. No way are we letting Mr. Bummers lay this on you. That was mi chica Roguey and me kicking ass and we ain't letting you have any of the credit!"

"I just want to know how the hell something like this could happen? What made you think the food court at the mall was the place to start a brawl? Your supposed to avoid that type of situation Logan...that's why when our students want to go shopping we sent an escort. So these types of confrontations are avoided."

Logan was right. Janet couldn't believe what she was hearing. And she was very confused at why Xavier was just sitting behind his desk without calling a halt to Scott's tirade. The Professor had asked them to stop by his office for a chat as soon as they had walked in the door. He seemed calm and had listened to their account of what had happened without any sign of displeasure. Scott on the other hand made no attempt to hide how angry he was and started in on Logan as soon as they finished.

What really puzzled her was Logan's lack of a response. He just sat there staring off into space with none of the signs of losing his temper that she expected to see. For a man with such a volatile temperament he was good at hiding his feels when he wanted to. She was beginning to wonder if he was blaming himself for what happened. In any event, if he wouldn't say something about the crap that Scott was handing out she certainly would.

"Scott what are you really upset about. I don't understand why you're mad at Logan for what happened because I was there and I can't think of a single thing he did wrong."

"Are you kidding? Two kids with concussions, another with a broken nose and he didn't do anything wrong? Look Janet...I'm not mad at you. I know perfectly well how difficult Logan can be."

"Have you been listening to us Scott? What do you think happened here. That Logan hit those boys and all of us including mall security are covering for him? Because that's the only reason I can think of that would cause you to act like this. Let me repeat myself since you missed it the first time. He...didn't...do...anything."

"That's exactly my point. He allowed the situation to get out of control. His number one priority should have been to look out for the safety of you and the girls...not force a confrontation..."

"Ah thought we were supposed ta be protecting mutants from people that are tryin ta hurt em. Ah didn't think that X-Men only looked out for themselves." Rogue was glaring at Scott, a look of disgust on her face.

"That's not what I'm saying and you know it Rogue. I can't believe the only way to deal with four teenage boys was for Jubilee and you to attack them. As far as I'm concerned this happened because Logan's been teaching you to punch first and think later. I'm going to start fixing that tomorrow."

"There's nuthin wrong with what Logan's been teachin us. Ya know Ah could nevah understand what it was about you that pissed Logan off but Ah'm beginning to see it now. Ah don't care what you think you're not going to tell me how Ah should fight."

"Now just a minute young lady...if you and Jubilee want to be on the team then your going to have to listen to me."

Jubilee had heard enough. Jumping out of her chair to walked up to the leader of the X-Men and got his attention by stabbing her finger into his chest. "Bull fucking shit! Dude last I knew we were joining the X-Men not the Army! I don't know why Wolvie is listening to your crap but we sure don't have to. And you so don't get to tell us how we fight. Ya know something Mr. Summers...right now I'm not sure I wanna be on any team that you're a part of. If ya don't like what Roguey and I did then you talk ta us and stop bitchin at Logan. Come on babe...let's get out of hear before I really get mad."

Both girls left without a backward glance leaving an uncomfortable silence in their wake. Xavier spent several seconds rubbing his forehead and then he looked over at Janet who was trying without success to hide the smirk on her face.

"Janet...would you go and talk with them...try to calm them down. I do understand why they are upset but I think their reaction was a little extreme."

"I don't know Charles. You can't ask them to begin risking their lives on a regular basis and continue to treat them like their still in school. When you do that this is what will happen." She walked up to Scott who was slumped against the wall somewhat stunned at the raw anger the girls had exhibited toward him. "They're not children. They haven't been children for a long time. You wouldn't dare try to tell Ororo how to fight or talk in her presence like she wasn't there. Treat them the same way. And whatever your mad about...stop taking it out on Logan."

Scott's eyes follow her out the door and the turned to look at Logan who had that same blank expression he'd been wearing since he walked in the room. "What...don't you have some smart ass comment about me Logan? Don't you have anything to say at all?"

"Don't see why I should bother. Ya did a good enough job on yer own. No need for me ta take a hand. Sides I said everything I wanted ta say ta ya yesterday. When it was just you and me. See ya later Chuck. I got me burgers ta grill."

Xavier could see that Scott was confused and more then a little disturbed by what had just happened and he was pretty sure he knew why. "Please sit down Scott. There are some things we need to talk about."

Cyclops slowly lowered himself into the chair facing Xavier. 'You really didn't say anything to help me out just now Professor. I would have appreciated a little support."

"Well Scott you know that you always have my support even in a case like this when I think you are wrong. Now please...hear me out. I am not saying that I agree that everything today was handled the way I would have preferred. Logan certainly could have done more to control the girls and I deeply regret that Mackenzie witnessed what took place. When I have a chance to I will make my concerns known to Logan...in private. You see Scott I am not saying you are wrong to voice your reservations although I thought your criticisms of him were perhaps a little unfair. What I have to question is that you choose to do so in front of Janet and the girls. If you want someone like Logan to listen to what you have to say you had best not take him to task in front of others. You are better off waiting to do so in private."

"Like you're doing with me now? I'm sorry Professor but that's not how it's been in the past. You certainly never hesitated to let me know in front of Ro or Jean when I did something wrong. We've always been able to air our problems or talk about our mistakes openly when it was just the four of us. What makes you think that should change?"

"Well for one thing it is no longer just us. Scott we shared a closeness based on years of working together and living with each other. I was your teacher for a long time before we took the step of forming the X-Men and the student teacher relationship tended to carry over. Since we were all used to relating to each other in that way it seemed only natural to continue on in that manner, but I realize now that it was a mistake on my part. As my original students you three were always more then willing to accept my discipline but I'm sure you recall how hard it was for the others, especially Warren. I should have stopped treating you as students and I certainly should have ceased to correct all of you in front of each other in the manner that I was accustomed to using when I was your teacher."

"So your saying...what...that everything I learned from you is useless now. That I'm going to have to start from scratch. Professor I have to confess that at least where Logan is concerned I'm not sure what to do. You'll forgive me if I question whether what happened with the girls today isn't a result of them spending time learning the wrong lessons from him."

"Scott it may be that spending time with Logan has encouraged them to be more assertive perhaps even aggressive. But considering what we will be asking of them is that such a bad thing? No I think the problem here is you are expecting them to grant you the same deference that you gave to me. As I said I should not have continued to treat you as my students. When you became my X-Men you became my partners. For the past few weeks since Jean...well I have been trying to change but sometimes old habits die hard. Both you and Ororo have been very patient with me and my sometimes secretive habits and I want you to know that I appreciate that. If you want to be successful with this group of people you will have to be prepared to treat them as partners from the beginning. Unlike you, Jean, and Ororo they will not accept things just because Scott...or Charles for the matter says it is so."

"All right...I can see what your saying. And I can see how what I said could make them mad. I guess I'm kind of at loose ends when it comes to dealing with people right now. Jean would always...well you know how I am Professor. She could give me a kick in the butt, tell me when I needed to get out of my leader mode and pay more attention to how what I was saying affected people. I kind of depended on her to let me know when I was out of line. I'm sure I can deal with the students...even Jubilee. I just don't know about Logan. There's just something about him that really gets on my nerves. There doesn't seem to be any kind of...I don't know...understanding...respect. I'm not sure I can bridge that gulf."

"Scott I believe that you and Logan have more in common then you think. We both know the source of your past conflicts and I do understand how that could make you less then happy to have him around. I think you are wrong to assume he does not respect you. If that were the case he would simply ignore you. I know you have not been yourself since Jean died. That is not something you simply get over Scott. Certainly not in a few weeks time. What you have to understand is that other people were also hurt by what happened. While Logan would have us believe he is devoid of feelings you and I know that is not the case. Please...I am not putting his grief in the same category as your's but it is there. Grief is a new experience for him. Then there is the mission that he went on with Hank and Janet while you were gone."

Scott knew he had to get past the anger he felt. Is was stupid of him to resent Logan for what he had imagined might happen between Jean and him. Part of the anger was at himself for ever doubting her. Still it was painful to even think about and easier for him to focus on something else.

"Was that the reason why you called me back? I mean if it's that serious you should have told me about it sooner."

"Perhaps you are right. I wanted to give you a chance to get settled. To come to terms with how you felt being here without Jean. There was also the fact that I am awaiting information from My contact at SHIELD. In any event since you appear ready to resume your role as leader of the team you need to know this."

For the next twenty minutes Xavier told him about the message that Hank had received that had lead to the three of them going off to New York City while Logan's trainees had stood guard over the school until he and Ororo had returned. By the time the Professor was finished Scott was disturbed on so many levels he didn't quite know where to start. It was no longer a shock to him that people could be so cruel, but he also knew if he was ever able to accept such things as normal he would be done with this life.

"The girls...the ones that were...that Logan rescued. Are they still here? How are they?"

"As well as can be expected. The younger one...Mackenzie. She was the reason behind the unfortunate trip to the mall. Rogue and Jubilee wanted to buy her some clothes."

"Oh God...I think I've already met the other girl. Is her name Anna?" At Xavier's nod he went on. "She was sitting out on the patio with Logan when I arrived the other night. I just thought...I had no idea." Scott took a deep breath as he tried to concentrate on the issue at hand. There was no sense blaming himself for something he couldn't have known. "So we have an unknown group that is using the Friends of Humanity to hunt down and capture mutants. And not just any mutants...only the most powerful."

"There is more Scott. Logan made the observation that another characteristic these people are seeking is youth. If he is right it would suggest a desire to bend those they take to their will. According to the account the girls relayed to me these people have some kind of device that they can use to determine what kind of mutation an individual possess. All they need is a blood sample. Anyone they capture not meeting their criteria are handed over to the FOH to do with as they please."

"So we don't know who these people are but they know Logan...or they think they do. But he has no idea who they might be."

"Yes...Logan made another observation that we must consider. It as become common knowledge in certain circles since Strykers attack that this school contains many very powerful and very young mutants. We would be a logical place for them to target at some point. I am expecting my contact at SHIELD to be providing me with more complete information in the next few days. Until then all we can do is ensure the security of our students. In light of what happened today I am going to cancel all off campus events for the next week at least. I have also placed a few calls to past alumni. Warren and Elizabeth will be arriving in the next few days. Kurt will be here tomorrow. Scott...Hank is also considering returning to active status."

"I didn't think he'd ever...I mean after what happened. And Warren? Professor I know we need all the help we can get but do we really want him around here if he isn't serious? "

"That is something only time will tell although I think his relationship with Elizabeth has helped Warren to mature. In any event you should have no doubts as to how serious she is. Scott I would be the first to admit to you that this is not an ideal situation. But then when have we ever been blessed with one."

"Professor...about Logan. You haven't said anything to me about what happened...what he did during that mission. I guess I'm curious to know how you feel. Look I really don't know what I would have done if I had been in his place. It's just hard to get my head around the fact that he had to kill ten men in order to get the girls out safely."

"Actually seven of those in question died after Hank and Ororo carried Anna and Mackenzie out of the building. I'm not going to answer your question Scott, not right now at least." Opening his desk drawer Xavier took out a computer disk and handed it to Scott. "This is a recording made of the mini-cam feed that Logan was wearing during the mission. I want you to take a look at it and tell me what you think. Since you have been here with me from the beginning you know well the reason for everything I do. Make no mistake, my dream as Erik calls it of humans and mutants living together in peace will always be what this school and the X-Men stand for. Under the present circumstances however I find myself driven to acknowledge that other priorities make it necessary for us to focus on a new short term mission."

Scott Summers was worried now. Xavier sounded almost...afraid. "I don't understand sir. What mission are you talking about?"

"Survival Scott. We must do whatever is called for to ensure the survival of this school and our students. Because if that does not happen our dream will die."

Marie sat resting her back on the old oak tree. Xavier's School for the gifted was in full picnic mode and she had a perfect view. It was a beautiful spring day and all the students were out having fun acting like ordinary kids. Out on the athletic field the younger high school students along with Jubilee and Kitty were playing soccer. Marie shook her head and smiled at the sight of her friend. Every time one team would get ahead the Asian girl would switch and play with the losing side. She wished she had half of Jubilee's energy. On the other side of the field Bobby was trying to teach Pete how to throw a football. The big Russian seemed puzzled about how it was shaped. Bobby looked over at her briefly but turned away without meeting her eyes. Yesterday they had fought over his plans to go away to college in the fall. Lately all they seemed to do was bicker over one thing or another. While she knew Bobby cared for her she couldn't help but wonder if he wouldn't be better off with someone else. Someone he could touch. Looking up she saw Logan wiping the grill down while nearby Janet was cleaning off the picnic tables that had been set up for their meal. They were talking with each other as they went about their tasks and Rogue smiled with the realization that besides her Janet seemed like the only person around here that Logan actually enjoyed speaking with. Maybe there was hope for him after all.

"What's with Wolvie and Phillips?"

Startled Marie turned to see Jubilee standing about three feet from her looking at the same thing she was. Only her friend was not smiling. "Ah don't know. Their just takin about somethin or other. Ah'll bet their plannin on how much they can make us work tomorrow. Ah think they enjoy watching us suffer."

"They spend a lot of time talkin."

"Course they do. Ya know they talk about the progress we make and Ah know they plan our sessions together. What's buggin ya Jubes?"

Jubilee plopped down beside Rogue and gave her a dirty look. "I'm not stupid girl. Logan won't say two words to anybody but they were like talkin the entire time we were at the mall. Except for when Wolvie was bitchin about being there. Come to think of it he was bitchin to her most of the time."

"Ah still don't see what yer problem is Jubes. Logan talks ta me, he talks ta the Professor, and sometimes to Ms. Monroe."

"Wolvie loves you babe. And everyone talks to the Prof...you can't live here at Mutant Central and not speak to him. And you know as well as I do that Ms Munroe has a thing for the Hankster. She likes her grrr with fur. Phillips...I think she wants ta do more then chat...I think she's lookin ta bang him."

"Jubes! Ah don't know what got inta yer head that Janet and Logan...come on...just because he does some stuff with her..."

"Shit Roguey what am I gonna do. If they get busy he isn't even gonna know I'm alive much less available. Damn it why did those stupid jerks have to screw up my shopping plans. I need that Miracle Bra!

"The first thing yer gonna do is stop whining ta me about this. Ya gotta say somethin to him Jubes or ya need ta forget about it. Jubes Ah want ta see you happy and Ah really don't think havin sex with Logan is gonna do that for ya."

Jubilee sat with her chin resting on her knees staring off into space. "Sometimes the whole thing seems stupid even to me. It's not like Wolvie's done anything to make me think he'd want to. I know your right girl...I need ta talk to him...but I guess I'm afraid of what he'll say. I'm screwed Roguey. Remember when I said I just wanted to...you know...have sex and be able to enjoy it? Well sometimes I catch myself thinkin that I want more then that...more then just ta fuck him." Jubilee stood up and brushed some grass off her shorts and then offered her hand helping Rogue to her feet. "When I catch myself thinkin like that it scares the shit outta me."

Rogue watched as her friend trotted across the field to rejoin the perpetual soccer game. She felt bad for her but she had no clue what to say. Sometimes she felt like she was caught in this weird limbo state were she was still going to high school but had to act and think like an adult. Rogue knew that the adult thing was to tell Jubilee that there was no way that this was a good idea and that she should just get over it and move on. But Rogue also knew from bitter experience that it was important to not give up on your dreams. A person who could still dream was a person who had not given up hope.

Logan sat contemplating the bottle of beer in his hand. The bottle of lite beer that tasted no better then water. How much further could he sink? He wanted to jump on the bike and go hunt down something more...substantial...but he was just too tired right now. So he silently cursed Scott's lousy taste in beer and resolved to lay in a stash of his own. Hearing the kitchen door open he looked up to see Ororo standing there a curious expression on her face. Shit he had to be on the way out not to have noticed her before now.

"Logan...please tell me you are not drinking that wretched excuse for beer"

He just shook his head. "Guilty as charged darlin. Guess if I'm gonna be hangin around for a while I need to have my own supply."

Ororo favored him with a smile and went to open the big walk in refrigerator, the one that was used to store all the fresh produce and salads. When she emerged she had two bottles of Guiness in her hand. Opening a cabinet she produced a pair of beer steins and handed one to him along with a bottle.

"Yer a real life saver Ro. Was thinkin I should just ride out for a cold one, but it's too late and I'm just too damn tired."

"You must be a the verge of collapse to settle for what Scott dares to call beer."

"So what ya doin up so late. Yer not havin trouble sleepin again are ya?"

"No Logan...I was just talking to Henry...our discussion became rather involved and I just lost track of the time."

He could tell by her scent that she was upset about something. While he generally thought minding his own business was always the best option in this case he had a feeling he might know what was bothering her.

"So Ro...I don't know jack about what went on here before I arrived. I suppose ya don't have some kinda...I don't know...like a diary or a book of what happened before I got here."

"I am sorry Logan but to my knowledge no such document exists. I do believe Charles was intending to keep a log book of our missions and that should be available in a raw form should you wish to see it. Perhaps if you have a specific question I may be able to help you."

"Yea maybe ya could. Was wondering what the story is with Hank. Told me at the picnic he wants back on the team. Kinda surprised me...never really thought you guys had anyone doin this stuff exceptin you, Summers, and Jean. Sides I never pegged Hank as a fighter. Just don't seem like that kind of guy."

"I think you really should talk to Henry about this Logan. While it is no secret that he was once an X-Man I would rather you hear what happened from him. There have been a number of mutants who have been on the team in the past that are not active members at present. In fact Charles has called some of them in the last few days and at least two will be rejoining the team on a temporary basis."

Logan didn't need his enhanced sense of smell to know what she was unhappy about. "So why don't ya want Hank on the team again darlin?"

She gave Logan a strange look and for a second he though she was going to tell him to fuck off (not using those exact words of course). Instead she tilted her stein back and drained it.

"Goddess I wish I had something a little stronger then this."

Reaching into the pocket of his jacket that hung on the chair behind him he handed her a flask of his moonshine. "Try this darlin...but take it easy. It's the good stuff...straight from Kentucky."

Rather then the demure sip he expected she took a huge swig. But instead of the usual reaction to the fiery liquor Ororo just grinned at him. "Thank you Logan. I really needed that. It is as you say. Henry is not by natural inclination a fighter. That is not to say that he would hesitate in any way to do what ever would be needed to protect the innocent. Tonight I suggested that with Elizabeth and Warren returning to active status that he might consider foregoing missions and serving as security at the school. He would have none of it. I was not happy and we had words."

"So I'm guessin that what ever bad thing went down was mission related." At her nod he went on. "Well Ro ya know the guy better that I do, but he don't strike me as someone who would want ta be treated different."

"I realized that he would probably reject my suggestion, but I had to try. Good night Logan...and thank you for listening."

"Hey darlin hold up. These two that Chuck asked ta come. What kinda powers do they got?"

"Oh...of course. Warren has a set of fully functional wings that allow him to fly at high speed. In addition he has some self-healing ability. Betsy is a telepath who is also blessed with exceptional strength and agility. She has studied the martial arts for many years and is an expert in the use of many different kinds of oriental weapons. You should enjoy having her around. Like you she is often blunt to the point of rudeness and she especially enjoys sparing with swords."

Ororo once again turned to go but was startled by the large hand that suddenly gripped her shoulder. Logan had moved so silently that she had heard nothing. Turning slowly to face him she was surprised at the expression on his face, one of surprise.

"Logan...what is wrong?"

"Sorry Ro." He removed his hand running it through his black mane. "This...Betsy...she was an X-Man before I came here right? So she used the Danger Room ta train...and she had at least one program...shit why the fuckin hell didn't I think of this before!"

Now the man was beginning to creep her out. "What is wrong Logan? What are you talking about?"

"Look Ro...just get Summers and meet me down in the Danger Room...the observation deck. And Ro...don't let the dickhead tell ya no."

Ten minutes later Ororo lead a pissed off Scott into the room that served as the observation and control center for their holographic training. Logan was attempting to type something on the keyboard and cursing the machine because of the errors he hade made.

"Please tell me you didn't call me down here at midnight so I could teach you how to type?"

"Good one Summers...I seen enough a you today ta last me a while. But Ro just said somethin ta me that shook lose my fuckin Swiss cheese memory. This damn thing's too small for my fingers. Sit down Ro...I need ya ta find a recording of a session I ran."

"So why am I here if you just need to find a computer file, damn it Logan I'm..."

"Shut up will ya. You need ta see this. It was a recording made on one of the first days I used the thing."

Looking over Ororo shoulder as she scrolled down the list Scott was shocked to see that there were over fifty files, each one a recording of a time when Logan had been using the Danger Room.

"That's the one Ro. Go ahead and play it."

"Logan...this is one of Betsy's scenarios. Goddess I though we had erased them all."

"She specifically requested that one be kept. Logan what the hell is this all about? I hope you didn't drag me down here just to watch a recording of your..."

"Darlin...will ya just play the thing so Summers can get back ta bed."

As the images began to play out Scott was stunned once again by what he was seeing on the screen. Xavier had mention something to him about Logan recovering skills, including how to use a sword; that he had learned before his memory loss...before Stryker. His only thought at the time was that the idea that Logan would know how to fence was disturbing. He couldn't believe he was watching the man running a session designed for Betsy, one with controls set to the maximum and all safeties turned off (that was the only way she designed them) while hardly breaking a sweat.

"Freeze it there Ro. The guys I ran into at the FOH warehouse. The ones payin those assholes ta get mutants for em. They were dressed exactly like the images that I'm fightin here."

Knowing something of Betsy Braddock and her enemies Scott summer already had a pretty good idea who these people were. The thought that for some reason **_they_** wanted mutants made him ...sick. Still it never hurt to be sure.

"Your certain these are that same...men. Do you even know who they are?"

"Run the recording back ta the start. That's it...now play it."

Logan was standing in the center of a gleaming metal hall way. Looking past him Scott could see the corridor turn to the right. The sound of bare feet running was heard as suddenly a large number of men clad in black from head to toe came boiling around the corner. Stopping short at the sight of a lone man blocking the way they halted for a long second. Just before their charge they raised swords above their head and cried out in one voice.

"HAIL HYDRA."

**I doubt she's reading this but a thank you to Terri for "Mr. Bummers."**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**A/N: I must apologize to those of you reading my story who are readers of X-Men comics. While researching Hydra for this chapter I realized that I probably let you astray by failing to remember that the color of their uniforms is dark green and not black. As Wolviesfan pointed out while reviewing chapter 11** **black is the color of uniform worn by another of Logan's enemies the Hand. The funny thing is that I knew this but was influenced by the most recent Wolverine story arc where to me at least Hydra uniforms _seem to be black._ While I have every intention of altering most of whatever comic back story I may include in this tale I had no intention of purposely misleading my readers my changing that little detail. I just screwed up. At some point soon I will edited those chapters so that the uniforms back then as well as in the future will be the proper color. Dee I'm glad I've gotten you curious. Lots more about Hydra here. As always I'm looking forward to your next chapter. Wondering if you know as much about the law as you do about medicine. Rhia your expletives are so creative I couldn't help but steal one. Since you're a rabid Marvel fan I'm looking forward to your take on this. N. Beresford** **that's three chapters in a row. Any comments good or bad are always appriciated.**

**Disclaimer. I don't own them. I just borrow shamelessly.**

"Come on Pete, stop day dreamin and start fightin."

Piotr Nickovitch Rasputin was taking a beating tonight. Not that this wasn't par for the course during these private training sessions that he endured for an hour and a half six nights a week. One would have thought just from looking at the two of them that their contests would be unfair, even lopsided. One would be right, but for the wrong reasons. After all Pete as Logan insisted on calling him was at least six inches taller and had a ten inch reach advantage. Those things did him no good at all. Logan was far more experienced and much quicker. And **his** mutation was always on. He never had any difficulty deflecting Piotr's punches, while more often then not the young Russian never even saw Logans. But he did feel them even through the protective padding he wore. Boxing lessons. Peter remembered how innocuous that phrase sounded the day Logan had suggested it. He had sought out the older man for advice on what to do about the frustrating lack of progress with his martial arts training.

"I think perhaps that I am not...what is that saying? Ah...I am just not cut up for being a fighter Logan."

"It's cut out...and yer right Pete...ya ain't. Yer a nice guy Pete, too damn nice ta be in this business. So yer gonna have ta make up yer mind kid. There are lots of ways ta ya can help around here without fightin. Just cause ya can turn yerself inta metal and lift a bus don't mean ya gotta be the one ta beat up the bad guys.'

"I do not understand. I am aware of Professor Xavier's wish that all of us join the X-Men. You are saying this is not true?"

"Chuck wants ya on the team alright." Logan could swear that Xavier was practically salivating at the prospect. "That don't mean ya gotta join. Lotta good arguments I could give ya for taking a pass on this kid. The way I see it there's only one reason for ya ta be an X-Man."

Piotr knew what that reason was. He knew that she wasn't sure if being on the team was the right thing for her when they had started their training. But if she ended up joining he also knew that he would never be able to stand aside and watch while she placed herself in harms way.

"What must I do Logan?"

"I gotta idea. Way I see it the fightin style we're teaching the others ain't what ya need ta learn. I think you and me oughta try something on our own. What do ya think of me givin ya boxing lessons?"

They began that night with Logan teaching Pete how to jump rope. During the following days he learned the right way to move his feet, how to protect himself from as well as deliver a punch. Different kinds of attacks and which to use when were covered in great detail. Logan loved to attack. Peter's confidence grew with each lesson learned. Logan was pleased with that kid's ability to learn the skills he taught quickly. Until tonight. Whatever the Russian was thinking about his mind clearly wasn't on what they were doing. This was one lesson he had to make sure the kid learned right now. Losing your focus in a fight made for an extremely shortened life span. Logan moved in on Pete and started jabbing with his left. The first one smacked him on the chin and right away he noticed that these were not the usual punches that he had come to expect from his teacher. They hurt. A lot. His attention snapped back into place as his quickly began to retreat and use his gloved hands and massive forearms to cover up. But instead of stepping back as he normally did to allow him time to recover and resume his stance Logan continued to snap off jabs hard enough for Pete to feel through his gloves. He was so preoccupied with warding off Logan's blows that he never saw the hard right to his stomach that double him up, much less the left hook follow up that sent him crashing to the floor. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs the Russian push himself off the mat his glove automatically going to his right eye, the point of impact for Logan's final blow.

"That was...what are you trying to do to me Logan. To strike like you did was..."

"...not fair. Thought we'd already had this little talk. Ya want fair have Summers take over yer trainin. I told you twice already to get yer head out o the clouds. What the hell you think's gonna happen when yer fightin for real? I want yer attention every damn second we're doin this. Not just when ya feel like given it. You can't do that then stop wastin my time."

Peter winced, which made his eye feel even more painful. "You...you are right my friend. My mind was not on what we were doing tonight. You have been working hard to lash me into shape and the least I should do is be able to pay attention to your lessons. I will not have any troubles remembering this in the future."

"It's whip...whip ya inta shape. Let me see that." Logan pulled back the glove Pete was using to cover his eye and let out a low whistle. " Yer gonna have a shiner...that's for sure. Think we're done for tonight. Pete...ya gotta understand how it is. Yer gonna be out there soon fightin people that can kill ya in a second if yer not payin attention. Don't give em the chance."

Piotr simply nodded. There was nothing else to say. Logan was already running late. The others were waiting.

Earlier that day Xavier had asked them all to meet in the upstairs conference room at nine 'o clock sharp. Logan didn't need telepathy to know that after ten days of silence Xavier's contact at SHIELD was finally going to deliver the goods. Even though he was irritated at all the cloak and dagger bullshit he was looking forward to having something more to go on about these jokers then just a name. Because after two days of searching the internet and hacking every law enforcement data base they could think of (ok...that Kitty could think of) that was still all they had. Hydra. Hopefully tonight Chuck's buddies would have some answers.

Sitting around the table in it's center were Scott, Hank and Ororo. Logan was surprised but pleased to see Janet sitting to Xavier's right while on his other side was...

"Hey darlin...ya forget yer camera?"

"Sit down and shut up Hairy...you're late."

"Relax darlin. So Donald...ya got something ta say or ya just here ta do some more research for yer boss?"

Xavier held up is hand. "Logan please...we have a lot of things to go over tonight. Ms. Lisa Donald is here at the behest of a friend of mine to convey information concerning the people responsible for what is apparently a large scale operation to abduct and subvert young mutants to some unknown purpose."

"Ain't that a big fat surprise."

Donald shook her head. "I'm sorry if this is boring to you Logan. However some of these other people might be interested in what I have to say. What I am going to tell you tonight is known by only a select few people. I cannot stress too highly how important it is that this remains the case."

Using her best "briefing" voice Lisa proceeded to lay out the history of one of the most dangerous and secretive organizations in existence. What she was going to tell them had been vetted by Fury. To say that it was the entire truth would be inaccurate. Not only were important parts left out (any mention of the roles played by the head of SHIELD or for that matter Logan) nothing would be said about the amount of sheer speculation that went into this report. Even after over fifty years the amount of hard evidence about Hydra and it's activities was depressingly thin. What she was telling Xavier and his people was what Fury had decided they needed to know and not one word more. Because of the special nature of Xavier's gift it also happened to be all she needed to know as well. So for the next half hour they listened in stunned silence as she told them the history of Hydra, or at least the history Fury wanted them to hear.

"The man responsible for Hydra's beginnings was Baron Wolfgang von Strucker who was Hitler's special representative to the Japanese Imperial Staff during the later part of World War II. The end of the war found the greater part of the earth in chaos and provided Strucker with the raw material to build his organization. Millions of angry disaffected men to recruit from and the gold bullion reserves of the Third Reich. The later was smuggled out of Germany in U-Boats before the fall of Berlin and found it's way into Strucker's hands. Very little is know about the early years of Hydra. Some have speculated that the Baron used a portion of his gold to form a lose alliance with a Japanese criminal group known as the Hand. What is known is that while Strucker was determined to follow Hitler in seeking to dominate the world he rejected Nazi racial theories and recruited men from all countries and ethnic groups."

"Hydra's strategy has usually been to wait for the opportunities that civil unrest and the chaos of war make available. They hd counted on being able to move into the power vacuum that would be created after the inevitable withdrawal of American forces from Europe and Japan after the end of the war. But instead of renewed isolation the United States remained in those countries and helped rebuild their damaged economies denying Hydra a chance to extend it's influence in those areas. Indeed as time passed and the surprising stability of the post war world revealed itself Strucker was faced with waiting a very long time for another such opportunity. Instead he set out to create one."

"Only at it's end was Hydra's whole plan revealed but it was the start of it's grand strategy that brought them to the attention of SHIELD. Teams of personal were dispatched to several newly independent Asian countries in order to subvert them to Hydra's purposes. In one of these countries, the island nation of Madripoor resistance to Hydra's agents was especially fierce. The beleaguered government asked for United Nations assistance and SHIELD became involved finally taking notice of the threat Hydra posed. As it turned out the Madripoor operations that Hydra conducted off and on from the mid 1950's through the early 60's were just a smoke screen for an even more ambitious program. Men loyal only to Strucker were carefully infiltrated into the top military and political policy making groups of both the United States and the USSR to await their chance to manipulate those countries into fighting a war that would destroy them and leave the world ripe for Hydra to dominate. That opportunity came for them in October 1962."

"It was only in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis that SHIELD discovered and decoded the intercepted radio transmissions being sent between highly placed individuals within both the U.S. Air Force and the Communist Party of the USSR. These messages showed them to be Hydra agents in the process of pushing both countries toward war. Armed with this information SHIELD set out to destroy Hydra. In league with the KGB and the CIA they conducted a series of operations that ten years later left the criminal organization in disarray. Strucker decided that he needed the protection of a country if Hydra as to survive. So in 1972 he launched an all out attempt to seize control of the government of Madripoor. Although he succeeded in temporarily taking over parts of the island a SHIELD strike force along with hundreds of enraged citizens turned back the invasion while killing most of the Hydra operatives. Strucker was found near the dockyards stabbed to death. Within months most remaining members were either arrested or killed. Sometimes both. In any event it was the end of Hydra as a coherent organization. Or so we thought until ten years ago."

Logan had heard enough. "Were the hell did ya come up with all this shit? Sounds like a bad comic book ta me. Sides what the hell do I care what these assholes were doin thirty years ago. What we need ta know is what they're up to now."

"I'll tell you why Logan if you just shut your mouth and let me. It's important for all of you to know what these people are capable of. They are not some group of thugs looking to sell the latest drug or bribe some politician so they can skim the fat off a highway contract. We have every reason to believe that their objectives have not changed and that they will use any and all means at their disposal to achieve them ."

Xavier held up his hands. "Please forgive me Ms. Donald. Though I do understand your point I share Logan's ...impatience. Granted that everything you have told us is true that still begs the question of what this Hydra is doing now. It would seem hardly possible that there would be anyone left of the original membership after thirty years. How do you **know **that the objectives have not changed when the personal clearly have? And more to the point...at least has far as we are concerned what do they want with mutants?"

"As I said earlier starting about ten years ago we began to encounter signs of a powerful subversive group working to destabilize certain small Asian countries, including Madripoor. When the island's government was finally overthrown in December 1999 the British in response to a plea for help from their former colony dispatched an SAS counter terrorist group lead by one Elizabeth Braddock a top MI6 operative. During the fight to seize back control of the island those responsible openly declared their allegiance to Hydra. One would think that this would be all the evidence needed to prod the international community to action. However in it's final report to the British government MI6 discounted all evidence of Hydra's involvement and blamed the entire operation on the Hand. As you are well aware Ms. Braddock resigned in protest over this report."

Scott remembered all too well the conversations he'd had with Betsy about what she believed was a betrayal by her former employers. Her description of some of the things that these Hydra people had done during their brief time in power still left him feeling ill when he thought about it. Like now. "If these are the same people that Logan ran into then I can tell you that we have a big problem on our hands. What I want to know Ms. Donald is why are you coming to us when your outfit has the legal authority to go after Hydra right now. What aren't you telling us?"

"Quite frankly the opinion that this as well as other incidents are the work of a rejuvenated Hydra is not the majority viewpoint within SHIELD. Despite the fact that our director believes this until we can find hard evidence to support his belief it will not be possible for SHIELD to devote the resources that this possibility demands. There is also the reality that our main sponsor the American government has at this moment very little interest in the protection of mutants. You do. In short we need your help."

Janet spoke for the first time. "Lisa the professor asked you earlier if you knew what these...people...wanted mutants for."

"At this moment we have no real answer to that question. I can only say that you could well imagine how useful a person with powerful mutant gifts would be to an organization such as Hydra. These are your people. I'm afraid if you don't do something to help them nobody will."

Xavier sighed feeling every one of his sixty years. "Just what assistance would Colonel Fury be able to offer if we decide to undertake this...mission.?"

"He would make sure that you received whatever new information about Hydra that came into his possession. Other things could also be provided. For example the names and present locations of important leaders of the Friends of Humanity." At this point she looked directly at Logan. "Just so we all understand that there can be no repeat of what happened in New York."

Logan ran his left hand through his hair. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about. "Ain't gonna make any promises. I did what I had ta do darlin. Sides I didn't really think you were worried about what happened ta the assholes."

"I'm not. As far as I'm concerned they can all rot in hell. The fact remains that explaining away ten men killed in such a ...unique manner would have been impossible if it weren't for the explosion. So unless your planning to blow them up afterward you just can't leave that many of them lying around...well you know...in a deceased state."

"Got it darlin. If I gotta kill em I should make it look like someone else did it."

"No damn it! No killing! Look I know that they deserve it but..." Logan was just smirking at her. "You have a sick sense of humor you know."

Xavier shoot Logan a irritated look. "That's quite enough Logan. That is not something anyone should jest about. I am not really sure what to say about all this Ms. Donald. While it is true that we have made the protection of our fellow mutants part of the reason why this school exits I cannot take any risks that may threaten the well being of those already under our care. It seems to me that we are being asked to do your dirty work for you and without any of the legal authority that your organization has."

Scott Summers understood what Xavier was saying. He also knew that they couldn't just hide out against people like these. "Professor I don't think we really have much of a choice here. If you remember just the other day we both agreed that there was a good chance we will end up being a target no matter what we do. I'd just as soon not have to wait around for them to come to us. We need to have a plan of attack."

"Never thought I'd say this but he's right Chuck. Ain't no way we can hide from em. Need to find the kind a proof that will get yer SHIELD buddies off their asses. We ain't gonna find that holing up here waitin for these jokers ta come after us"

Xavier turned to look at Ororo who simply nodded. "Henry?"

"Charles I wish I could see another way. This whole situation fills me with a feeling of dread. Nevertheless I believe that we cannot stand by and do nothing."

Charles swept the room with his eyes looking for any sign of hesitation. "Very well. We are all agreed. There are several conditions I will place on our cooperation. Because of your apparent need for secrecy it has often been difficult for Colonel Fury to get information to us in a timely manner. We cannot allow this to go on. You will need to establish a secure connection to our command center. We will also require a representative of SHIELD to be available to us at all times."

Lisa Donald was at a loss. This was something they had not covered in her briefing. "Well I suppose the secure connection shouldn't be that difficult. The other thing. To have someone available all the time...they would have to live here."

"Precisely. And I believe I know the perfect person for the job." At the look of surprise on her face he smiled. "Oh come now Ms. Donald. You are well aware of the need we have for someone to upgrade our security. Besides if I am not mistaken the last time you visited us you were contemplating a career change."

"Professor...I can't approve this on my own. I'll have to talk to the boss first. If he gives the ok then I'll need about a week before I could start. I don't know how useful I'd be. Normally my job is to infiltrate a security system, not build one.

"That makes you the perfect person for us. Take what time you need. And tell Nicholas that on this point there will be no negotiation. I will not expose my X-Men to such risks while SHIELD skulks in the shadows in a position to deny any involvement."

There was nothing else to go over. Xavier had plenty of things that he needed to talk to the others about but until Fury's answer came there was no point. Donald thanked everyone for listening and quickly made her way out the door with Logan on her heels. Janet caught the look on his face and immediately followed them out. Watching from just inside the doorway of the conference room she saw that Logan had backed Donald into a wall by the front door. He was crowding her without actually touching the woman, leaning in close to say something that no one else could hear. After a few seconds he stepped back. The woman stood there staring at him. Then Donald turned her head and looked right at Janet as she pushed past Logan and out the door. Janet caught Logan's eye and he could see she wasn't happy with him. Frowning he turned his back to her walking down the hallway. She was about to go after him when she heard Xavier's voice call her name.

"Janet...I think we need to talk."

"I'm staying Charles."

"Please Janet just listen to me. You have made a real difference here. And you will continue to be an important part of this school. For the present however I would feel better about things if you were not here. To put it bluntly you a liability that we cannot afford right now. You will not be able to guard yourself from a determined attack from these people and I fear that we may not be able to protect you either. Since you are not a mutant there would be no reason for them to endanger you if you are not here."

"What are going to do with all your other liabilities Professor? There are sixty mutant children living here that have no gifts that will be useful in a fight. Are you going to ask them to leave? What about Anna? Ultrasonic hearing isn't going to be very helpful if Hydra comes calling. Are you going to put her out on the street again because she has no fighting gift. I will not...you can't ask me to abandon her...or any of you. I won't do it. Please Charles. I'm getting close. I'm beginning to see some real progress and if I leave all the trust I've built up will be gone."

"So soon?" She nodded hoping that his interest would be piqued. "Given his record of past mistrust I would have hardly believed it possible. Still...under the present circumstances I do not see how your progress can continue. Janet I really believe it would be best if you..."

"I will not leave him...won't leave any of you of my own free will." That had come out more forcefully then she wanted. She tried to soften her voice. "I want to be here. I know that I'm taking a risk but so are all of you. I may not be an X-Man but I'm not totally useless in a fight."

"With all due respect against what we will be facing you will be." He took a long breath, then looked her in the eye and nodded. " I fear that I have been trying to make decisions for people for so much of my life that the habit has become reflexive. If you wish to stay I will not oppose it. But there are conditions. You will not get involved in any fighting unless you need to protect yourself. You will have to live here full time. I must also insist that when you leave the grounds you must have someone with you."

She should have seen this coming. Up until now she had continued to spend at least half her nights sleeping in her own home. Realistically that wouldn't be an option. But an escort?

"Charles it's not fair to ask someone to take time from a busy schedule so they can drive me around town or take me to the shelter. I don't want to be singled out for that kind of treatment."

"You will not be. I am going to insist that everyone refrain from going out alone. It is simply too easy for one person to be taken unawares regardless of how formidable their gifts are."

"I'll need to get some things from the house. I can cut back my involvement with the shelter but I wouldn't want to stop working there."

"I do not expect you to. Perhaps you could ask the girls to go with you. I think it would be beneficial for them to help people who are suffering through difficulties that are not mutant related. Janet while you hardly need my advice I think it would be wise of you to try and maintain some emotional distance."

"I'm not his therapist Charles. If he ever feels comfortable with something like that I'll tell him to see you. What he needs is to learn how to trust others, how to accept that people care, and that he can do the same. Besides it's a little too late for me to think about emotional distance."

"That is not a difficulty he will have."

"You're wrong Charles." As she turned to go she couldn't help thinking that she hoped she was right.

She found him on the patio a couple of hours later smoking a cigar. After her talk with Charles she had gone to her room instead of giving in to the urge to go find him. She was disturbed about a number of things and decided that she needed some time to think about what she wanted to say to him. Making a list of things she would need from her house helped. So did having a little talk with Kitty, who was mad at Logan about the purple bruise that Peter now sported around his right eye. She sat down across the glass table from him.

"Hey darlin. Though ya would have been headin home by now."

That kind of surprised her. She usually did go home on Tuesdays because she spent Wednesday morning at the shelter. She didn't think he was that aware of her comings and goings. But that wasn't what she was here to talk about. Whatever he had been doing with Donald out by the door she knew what it had looked like to her. She's watch scenes like that played out too many times over the years She just wasn't in the mood to make conversation now.

"I saw you talking to Ms. Donald in the hallway. What did you say to her Logan?"

"Don't trust her. Just letting her know that I'm gonna keep my eye on her. That if she tried any crap she'd be pretty damn sorry."

"You don't trust her...so you threaten to attack her?"

"Ain't no threat. Just lettin her know how it is. What the hell is this all about?"

"You trying to intimidate a woman you hardly know because you don't trust her. Charles obviously trusts her enough to feel comfortable with her living here. Why isn't that good enough for you?"

"Chuck wants ta trust her that's his business. Doesn't mean I have ta. She works for someone else. And she's still gonna be workin for him when she's here with us. In charge of our security. And you think I shouldn't have a problem with that?"

Well when he put it that way. Still there were issues. "I see your point Logan. I guess I'm just not comfortable with how you made it. You just can't go around...treating people like that."

"Kid before I came here I treated everybody like that. Or worse. I told ya before I ain't a good guy. Ya mind tellin me what the hell is goin through that head of yours?"

She huffed in frustration. How could she explain this to him? She knew that this was about her feelings for him as much as what he had done. And she really wasn't any where near ready to talk with him about that. "Look...let's just forget it. We've got bigger problems right now and I just don't know if I..."

"Hold on darlin. I'm thinkin you ain't happy with me cause of what I said ta Donald."

"No Logan not what you said. Given your past experiences and that she was used by SHIELD to spy on us I can understand that. It's how you did it...what it looked like to me. Like a person physically threatening someone who hasn't done anything to deserve that threat. When she was spying on us she was just doing her job. She came here with valuable information that we needed to have. And in case you forgot she didn't volunteer to stay, Charles is basically coercing her. I don't like seeing anyone who is not able to protect themselves threatened..."

"Kid she's a trained spy. She ain't defenseless..."

"Against you she is and you know it. Logan...I just didn't like seeing you treat her like that. I know that there are times and circumstances that may make what you did necessary. This isn't one of them."

Never in his wildest dreams did he ever imagine he would be talking with anyone about whether it was appropriate behavior to threaten people. That's what he did. On the other hand he knew that he could have found a different way to deliver his message. What he wasn't sure of was why this was so damn important to Phillips. Crushing his cigar out he stood and stretched.

"Point taken darlin. I get that ya don't like my way with people. Ain't gonna make ya any promises. I'm used to dealin with people I don't know a certain way. Always worked pretty well for me before I came here. When they're scared of ya they tend ta leave ya alone."

"I understand that. Your used to others being afraid of you. It's what you expect and if the worst happens it gives you an advantage. There is something I'd like to know. When did you decide that you didn't want us to fear you? Why don't you treat the people at this school like the rest of the world?"

"Don't rightly know why darlin. For as long as I can remember when I stayed in one place too long my...instincts started screamin at me. Get out...get gone before someone finds out what you are. Before **they** find ya again. I was walkin in the woods a week ago when it hit me. I've been at this place longer then any place else I can remember. But instead of that screamin in my head I got nada. I wasn't goin crazy cause I was here. My instinct was tellin me it's alright, that trustin you and the others ain't a danger. The other parts easy. If I can trust ya why the hell would I want ya to be afraid of me?"

This was new to her. "So your saying that your need to intimidate is instinctual? A part of your mutation? Something you have no control over?"

"I ain't an animal." But the tone in his voice conveyed the doubt in his mind. "Let's just say I hardly ever go wrong by followin them. Controlling them...don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Controlling them doesn't mean you can't listen to them. You just said that it was only a week ago that you realized you could stay here without fear. I take it before then you had to fight the urge to leave. Just like you had to fight the desire to protect yourself when you let Rogue borrow your healing."

"Ya don't know what it's like darlin. Ain't somethin ya can just turn on and off. Took me a couple of years before I could even stand ta be around people without either runnin off or flyin inta a rage."

"I never said I knew what it was like." She got up and walked to the glass door. Sliding it open she turned to face him again. "And from what you told me it can't be easy. All I do know is that you can do it. If you want to. Goodnight Logan"

He took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one taking a long drag as he stared at the door. Lost in his thoughts he was unaware of the eyes that were watching him from the hallway window above the patio.

"It ain't fair girl. One minute they're telling us that we need to train so we can be ass kicking super gals and the next it's come see me in the office so we can talk about your inappropriate language."

"Jubes Ah was there remember. As Ah recall he asked us to please not cuss out Mr. Summers in front of other people. Seemed like somethin we could handle. Ah don't think the Professor was all that mad at us. Ah really think ya need ta calm down a little."

"You know I"m right Roguey. You think the Prof is sitting down Mr. Summers and Logan for the little talk he gave us? They go at it every day."

Rogue snickered imagining what that little get together would be like. "Ah have ta admit they just don't...Jubes!"

The Asian girl looked up from her breakfast food, a chocolate pop tart that she had just poured honey on. "Tune it down Roguey...I really don't want to be awake for English."

"Ah can't believe yer gonna eat that. Gawd Ah'm gonna be sick."

"No way! You blow chunks at breakfast and I'm sittin with someone else."

"How can ya eat that crap Jubes. You'll be bouncing of the walls by the time we have to train."

"Gotta have the buzz girl. Ya know how Mr. Summers loves it when I can't sit still during English. First he'll look at me..." The sudden silence caused Rogue to pause from cutting up her waffle and when she looked up her friend was staring. Open mouthed. Logan had just walked into the dining room. While they all did one circuit around the school grounds each morning he typically did two or three. Apparently this morning he had been doing a strip run, because while Rogue was sure he had been wearing a full track suit (it wasn't that dark) all he had on now were a pair of shorts and a towel. Jubilee whimpered.

"Ah can't believe this. Ain't ya supposed ta wear some clothes when ya eat here."

Jubilee peeled her eyes off Logan looking at her friend in disbelief. "Shut it chica. He might hear you and decide to put something on. Whoever said breakfast was the most important meal of the day knew what they were talkin about."

Rogue just shook her head and went back to consuming her waffle. Jubilee reacquire her target as he piled food from the chafing dishes that were laid out unto his plate. Marie, ignoring the occasional squeak from across the table was almost done when she became aware of his presence. Jubes was staring at the man looming over their table with the same desperation that Rogue imagined a starving person would have for a meal. Logan's expression was more of a mixture of annoyance and amusement. Until he glanced down and saw what was on her plate.

"What the hell are you eating kid?"

Jubilee tried to talk but nothing...oh yea...close mouth...there...that's better. "Um... food...it's food. Good food. Food with honey. I like honey. Logan do you..."

"Logan...perimeter alarm! The woods."

Scott Summer was suddenly in the room his hair dripping wet pulling a shirt over his chest. And a very nice chest it was thought Marie. Frowning. Were the hell did that come from. By then she, Logan, and Jubilee had abandoned their meals and were trotting toward him. Logan was not happy.

"Damn it Summers this is the fourth time this week. I thought you were gonna have Hank fix this."

"There are over two hundred motion sensors Logan. Each one has to be individually adjusted. You want it done faster then give him a hand."

Sensing an impending blow up Marie decided to get there minds off each other. "Same drill as last time?"

Scott turned his attention from Logan giving Rogue a grim smile. "Right. You two along with Janet are on the lock down detail. Find Bobby and Piotr and tell them to cover the first floor. Stop bitching Logan, you like the woods. Let's go people."

Rogue wanted to argue, but she knew this wasn't the time. On every alert it was always the same. Jubes and her were assigned to guard the second floor and keep all the younger mutants in their rooms. If it was a real attack they would be responsible for shepherding them all to the safety of the lower levels. Damn it she wanted to be out there with the X-Men looking for the bad guys. Or more likely whatever small woodland creature have just tripped the motion sensor. Grabbing her friends gloved hand they raced off to find the others.

While the junior team went about their tasks and Hank prepared the lower levels Scott, Ororo, and Logan emerged from the mansion making their way to the sector in question. Only one sensor had been tripped and Scott had a pretty good idea what that would mean. Damn raccoons. Storm took to the sky and he and Logan split up so they could approach from different directions. Ororo's voice sounded in his ear a minute later. Nothing for her to see from up there. Charles called in next reporting that Hank was ready and that he could detect no sign of any unwanted guests. Scott really just wanted to turn around at this point. Anything to avoid Logan's bitter complaints at another false alarm. Suddenly in his earpiece the sound of Logan...coughing. Shit he thought...gas.

"Logan...try not to breath it in. Were are you damn it?" He is sprinting full out when the stink hit him. What the hell he thought...it's a skunk. Forcing himself to breath through his mouth he ran on until he found who he was looking for. Logan. The man is siting with his back to a tree hacking and sneezing with tears running down his face. From the dirt on his knees and chest Scott deduced that he must have crawled from where ever it was that the stench hit him. Cautiously Scott approached him. He got to within twenty feet when suddenly Logan began to growl. Lurching to his feet he turned to the direction that Scott was coming from ejecting the claws in his right hand.

"Who the fuck is it?" Voice so raspy Cyclops barely understood him.

"Relax Logan. Calm down. It's me. What the hell's wrong?"

"I can't see or smell a fucking thing." Claws retracted as Scott approached him. "Look just get me the fuck away from here. Once I'm clear of this shit it'll be fine."

Logan's eyes, nose, and throat were on fire. He'd already puked once and if he didn't get away from this now he was going to do it again. Relieved that the man had not been actually sprayed Scott grabbed his left arm and steered him out of the woods. After about two minutes Logan shook him off and was able to continue under his own power. Using the mini mile Scott called off the alert. Still it seemed odd to him.

"Did you see anything Logan? How the hell could you miss smelling a skunk before it could..."

"I don't fucking know Cyke. One second I was looking for whatever and the next one I was pukin up my guts. Didn't smell a damn thing before it hit me. I was in a meadow about a hundred yards north from were ya found me. Wind was at my back so I might have gone past without seein the little fucker. I just don't know."

"Ok...let's just get back. I'm going to get Pete and Bobby and some nasal filters. We'll take a look around. You sure you're..."

"Cut the crap Summers. I'm fuckin fine. I'm gonna take a shower. Then I'm gonna give McCoy a hand. This shit has gotta stop."

From the edge of the woods a pair of yellow eyes watched the two men walk across the lawn and into the mansion. A moment later they were gone.

It took thirty minutes in the locker room shower before the stench was bearable. After getting dressed he went to find McCoy who for once wasn't in his lab. Grumbling to himself he made his way back to his room only to find Janet sitting on the floor by his door.

As soon as she saw him she was on her feet moving toward him. "Logan are you alright? Scott told me what happened. Maybe you should see Hank"

"Darlin it was just a skunk. Just hada take a shower...wash off that damn stink." He could see by her expression she was worried...and something else. Logan was pretty good at reading people but he had no idea what he was seeing on her face. 'I ain't hurt. Just pretty damn embarrassed. Ain't the first time this has happened to me."

"You mean you've been skunked before?" She was smiling now amused at his confession. But that look was gone and Logan was a little disappointed. He'd liked it on her.

"Was up in Canada. I was pretty deep in the woods sleepin by a campfire and too damn lazy the get rid of my garbage. Little shit was rummaging through it when he woke me with the noise. Got me full blast right in the face. Damn lucky no one was around cause it was a day before I could see or smell and a month before the effect wore off completely."

"Oh God I'm sorry. It just never occurred to me...I forgot about your senses." She felt a little guilty for almost laughing out loud at something that had caused him so much pain.

"S'ok. Ya didn't have ta wait outside my door ya know. I never lock it."

She didn't know quite what to say to that and before she could think of something a voice was echoing inside her head.

"**Janet do you** **were Logan is?"**

"**Yes Charles...He's right here with me."**

"**Good. Please come to my office both of you. We have our answer from SHIELD."**

"It was Charles...he wants to see us. Logan would you mind giving me a ride into town after our training session is over?"

"Somethin wrong with your car darlin? I could take a look at it."

No...it's...well I had a talk with Charles. He didn't want me to stay. Because of the Hydra thing. I managed to convince him that it would be all right but he made me promise to not go out alone for now... and to move in here. For protection."

"Chuck tried ta run ya off. Ya know kid he's got a point. Ya sure ya want ta get involved in all our crap?**"**

"To tell you the truth no I don't. But I don't want to leave either. This place is important to me. I want to do what I can to help. And I'm not about to run."

"Yea...I know what ya mean. Just remember darlin, your one of us ...but yer not. Don't try and take the kinda chances we take. I'm glad yer stayin but I'd hate ta see ya get hurt."

Entering the office they were surprised to see not only Xavier and Donald along with the other X-Men, but also the junior team as well.

"Please be seated. I was just introducing everyone to our new head of security. We have a lot of things to go over so I have canceled afternoon classes for today. Ms. Donald is going to brief your students Logan so I thought you would want to be here."

Logan was just about to say thanks but no thanks when the SHIELD agent fished something from her briefcase and thrust it into his hand. It was a plain brown manila envelope.

"What the hell is this Donald?"

"It's from my boss. I was instructed to give it to you the moment I saw you."

Suppressing the urge to growl at her he opened it. Inside was a photograph of two men both sporting eye patches and holding beers. He just stood there staring at it unable for a second to make his mouth work. He had no idea who the one man was but...

"Who the hell is this!" He reversed the picture so she could see it and there were gasps of disbelief from some of the others. But his whole attention was fixed on Donald. She sneered back at him and pointed at the one without a cigar

"That one is my boss Colonel Fury. The ugly asshole on his left. That would be you."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: The X-men belong to Marvel. Fox only has a lease.**

**A/n: Ria I am very impressed that you can keep up with any of the comic verse X-Men cannon much less the one for Madripoor. I certainly can't. So while I'll be using bits and pieces of comic cannon I'm going to be changing a lot. BTW that Wolverine story line was one of my inspirations for part of this story. Dee I figured most of my readers wouldn't really care about comic cannon. That note was for people like Ria.** **Your story is coming along very well. I have a few vague ideas but I'm pretty much in the dark as to where your going. I'm just happy you update regularly, unlike some people. Koenigsegg glad to see your still onboard. Check out Wolverine 1-47 (Essential Wolverine 1 and 2) at least for Logan using the Patch persona much more recently then the early 20th century.** **Thank you Epilachna for the kind word. I hope you all enjoy the latest installment. Any feedback positive or negative is always welcome.**

_italics flashback_**  
**

Two men of approximately the same height both with their left eye hidden behind a patch, both with bottles of beer raised in front of them. Both wore smiles but the smiles couldn't have been more different. The man on the right had an easy smile, one that lit up his whole face. His partner's smile was subdued, the corners of his mouth upturned slightly, giving the impression that it was something his mouth wasn't used to doing. But it was the eyes that really drew you in. Old eyes, suspicious and alert. Eyes that had seen everything before. Tired eyes. Logan realized that it was that look which had fooled him for a second. The hair, the build, the face, it was all him. But he never remembered seeing that expression look back at him from the mirror.

Turning from the picture to Donald and seeing the sneer on her face he stepped forward and raised his right hand. SNICK! Three foot long claws shoot out of his hand.

"You enjoyin this Donald? Well ya better start talkin or it'll be that last fuckin joke ya ever pull. I want ta know what the fuck this is all about. And I want ta know now."

Lisa Donald recoiled in horror at the deadly looking blades that Logan was pointing at her face. While she'd had no idea what had been inside the envelope that Fury had ordered her to place in Logan's hand she had still felt very pleased to have been the one to deliver this shock to him. After all she felt entitled to a little payback after the way he had threatened her last night. Only right now she was wondering if this whole thing was such a good idea after all. What the hell were those things?

Charles started to wheel himself over, trying to wedge his chair between Logan and the frightened young woman. "Logan...sheath your claws at once. I will not have you..." Xavier's admonition was cut off as Logan used his left leg to slide a chair into his path effectively blocking his attempt to shield Donald.

"Shut up Chuck. This is between her and me." He continued to advance on her."Ya thought this was some kinda fuckin joke...didn't ya? How long did ya know about this...and what else do ya know about me?"

Scott was up immediately his right hand hovering by the side of his visor. "Step away from her Logan or I'll have no choice but to..."

"What are ya gonna do Cyke? Ya gonna start blastin away in here? I don't think so." He turned his attention to the SHIELD agent once more. "I ain't in the mood for games. Yer gonna tell me every thing ya know. Either that or I'm..."

A gloved hand gripped his right arm. "Ah'm gettin a little tired of all this macho bullshit. How the hell are ya gonna get anything out of her if ya go and kill her? Sides Ah think she's ready ta tell us everything she knows." Rogue turned to face Donald pulling off her right glove as she did so. "Ain't ya? Cause one way or another we're gonna find out."

"THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!" Storms shout echoed through the room. "Logan you will step away from Ms. Donald or you and I will have this out right now. Is that what you want?"

He was still pissed as hell. But he didn't want to go against Ororo. "This ain't any of yer business darlin. She's been playin with me and I don't like it." He retracted his claws and turned back at Donald giving her a hard stare. "So what's it gonna be Donald? You done fucking around with me? I want ta know what the hell is goin on here. Don't make me ask again."

Lisa Donald let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Look...I didn't even know what was in that envelope. Colonel Fury just told me he wanted you to have it along with this." She pulled a folded up piece of paper out of her folder and slid it across the table to him. Picking it up he glanced at it and promptly folded it again his face giving away nothing. Running his left hand through his hair he looked over at Xavier.

"Need ta speak ta her and you alone." Xavier started to protest but Logan just shook his head. "No Chuck...it can't wait." Xavier sighed rubbing his forehead. Logan and headaches seemed to go together lately.

"We will postpone this meeting for thirty minutes. If you would all just wait in my office..."

Scott was dubious. "Professor you can't expect us to leave you and her alone with him after what just happened. What if he..."

"Scott do you doubt my ability to deal with **any **problem that might arise? Even one having to do with someone losing their temper."

"No sir...I guess I don't like that we have to have secrets from one another." He paused shooting Logan a pointed look. "Especially if they effect the team."

"Rest assured that anything of the nature will not be kept private. Scott please do not worry yourself. I shall not be long."

Uneasily they filed out until only Xavier, Donald and Logan were left. Rogue had hesitated at the doorway. Turning she looked at Logan. "Don't worry kid. I'll catch ya up later." She gave him a small smile and closed the door behind her.

Wordlessly Logan fished the note out of his pocket and handed to Xavier. Taking it he immediately recognized the handwriting. It belonged to Fury.

_Logan, _

_We need to talk. Meet me at the Do Drop Inn, Yorktown at ten o'clock tonight. Come alone._

_Fury_

Xavier rubbed the back of his neck and turned to Donald showing her the note. "Do you know anything about why Nicolas wishes this meeting?"

"I told you he didn't say a word to me about any of this. I mean he's the boss. He sure as hell doesn't have to explain it to me." She in turn looked suspiciously at Logan. "How is it Colonel Fury knows you and you have no idea who he is. From this letter and the picture it sure looks like he expects you to know him. He's not someone a person usually forgets. What kind of game are you playing?"

"You ain't askin the questions here. Why the hell would your boss want to see me?"

"I'm sure I don't know. I can't think of a single reason why anyone would want the pleasure of your company."

Logan's answering growl was cut short by Xavier. "Enough of this nonsense. Ms. Donald is Colonel Fury's acceptance of our arrangement dependent on Logan meeting with him?"

"Of course not. As I told you earlier he will provide you with both secure communications and myself as the on site SHIELD representation. If this had been a condition of the agreement then the boss would have told me."

"Logan I am not sure that this meeting would be the wisest thing for you. I do trust Nicolas but only so far. I find especially disturbing his request that you come alone."

"Can't say I'm real happy about it either. Ain't like I'm gonna take a pass on this Chuck. Shit it's the first time I ever ran inta anyone who knew me before Stryker. I gotta know."

"I understand. However I must point out to you that you will be entirely dependent on Nicolas for information on the nature of your relationship with him. Not too put too fine a point on it but as with all intelligence operatives truth to him can be a rather flexible concept. I would rather you had some memory of the man to fall back on, to compare with what he will tell you."

By now Donald was throughly confused. "What are you two talking about?" She turned an intense gaze on Logan. "Why don't you remember the boss? And what the hell does all this have to do with Stryker?"

Xavier glanced at him and receiving a nod proceeded to explain to Donald that Logan's memories had been lost through a traumatic experience, one that William Stryker was responsible for causing. "So you see Ms. Donald while Nicolas and Logan were apparently at one time known to each other their relationship is now entirely one sided."

Lisa Donald knew there was more to this...but they didn't really know her and Logan certainly didn't trust her. The feeling was mutual. Still his reaction to the picture made a lot more sense to her then it did a couple of minutes ago. The only reason she could think of for Fury to with hold information like this was that he didn't know. She certainly would have gone about things differently if she'd know about Logan's memory loss. Not to mention how pissed he would get.

"Professor I don't pretend to know what the Colonel's motivation is in asking for this meeting. But it doesn't make any sense to me that he would work to built this partnership with you just to ruin it by going after one of your people."

Xavier was still not comfortable with this. But he knew that regardless of his concerns Logan would go. "Yes that would be rather pointless. Ms Donald I think it would be beneficial for you to spend the night here with us. You would be able to better understand how our school functions as well as get to know some of the staff and students a little better."

"A hostage Professor? Doesn't seem like your style. You know this isn't necessary. You don't want my boss to think you don't trust him do you?"

Logan almost laughed. "He's already gotta know that Donald. Sides I don't think he'll be too damn surprised if ya end up spendin the night here. Why the hell do ya think he sent you with the note instead a delivering it by mail?"

"What are you...he wouldn't...shit...I guess he would."

"Ms. Donald while I am sure you are correct and your presence here is not needed to ensure that Nicolas behaves himself I still would rather you remain with us. And as I said your staying the night would be very helpful in preparing for your new position as well as reassuring to all of us who count Logan as a friend. I would also have you know that we will not force you if it is something you feel you cannot do. I want you to stay, but the decision is entirely in your hands."

"So...you want me to volunteer to be a hostage?"

"No harm will befall you should the Colonel's intentions turn out to be less then honorable. Let us just say that I am asking you to humor me. And to refrain from any contact with Nicolas until Logan returns from their meeting. If he chooses to interpret this in the manner you have suggested we cannot be blamed, can we Ms. Donald?"

Why not she thought? After all Logan was right. The boss would probably just assume that Xavier would hold on to her until he was sure that no harm would befall Logan. She could understand this, but was still a little angry that Fury thought so little of her that he had not bothered to explain. Then again how much could he actually tell her considering who Xavier was. Shit sometimes she hated the spy business.

"Ok Professor...it's a deal. Even if I find it a little hard to believe."

"What may I ask are you referring to."

"The whole idea that there is anyone anywhere that would ever claim Hairy as a friend."

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"Ah told ya already Ah don't want ta talk about this right now."

Scott Summers slowly shook his head. "And I'm telling you that we are going to discuss this Rogue. You threatened to use your powers on someone who is a guest here. She didn't give you any reason to do what you did. Now I want to know why you felt justified in making that threat."

The southern girl wouldn't even look at Cyclops. While he continued to pace in front of Xavier's desk she just stared out the window. Scott had started questioning her on what she had done as soon as she had closed the door to the conference room that adjoined the Professor's private office. Neither one of them was ready to give an inch. Rogue's temper was truly up while Scott was still trying to deal with her like the high school student that she was, rather then the team mate she was soon to be. And none of this was lost on Bobby Drake. While he certainly didn't think it was right for Marie to do what she did he was getting more then a little annoyed with Scott Summers. Right about now he wondered if the man knew how to take no for an answer.

"Your not going to get anywhere with her right now Mr. Summers. Why don't we just drop this for a while. Maybe after the Professor is done with Ms. Donald and Logan we can find some place quiet and talk."

Scott looked at Bobby surprised he had intervened. "Not a chance Bobby...I can't just let this pass. She's got to learn...

"That's not what I said. You know _Mr. _Summers if I didn't know better I'd say you weren't listening to me. Just like you weren't listening a minute ago when Rogue told you she didn't want to talk about this right now. Or maybe it's just you thinking that since were just **kids** you can ignore whatever it is we have to say."

Marie gave him a grateful smile while Scott was looking at him in disbelief. "You may think you're helping her but your not Bobby. She needs to understand that this is not acceptable behavior. If you want to be an X-Man Rogue you cannot bully people who have done you no harm with your powers."

"And you need to understand when to give someone some space Mr. Summers. When you can do that and stop ignoring what she has to say I'm sure she'll be more then happy to talk to you. While were waiting for that to happen I think we'll make ourselves scarce. Please tell the Professor that we'll catch up on what's going on later. Come on Rogue." Bobby offered his hand and she grabbed it and pulled him toward the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I'm sorry but I can't allow Rogue to think what she did wasn't wrong. If you think this is over..."

In contrast to Scott Bobby's voice was almost calm. "She knows that already Mr. Summers. There is no way we would ever want to ignore what happened. But if you think I'm going to just stand here and watch you bully my girlfriend then I guess you don't know me very well. When you want to talk to us...to her instead of giving her a lecture I'm sure she'll be more then happy to listen." Bobby softly closed the door behind them. For a few seconds the room was quiet. Then Jubilee erupted.

"Ya know Mr. Summers ya gotta a real way with people. Frosty worships the ground you walk on, but you only took like three minutes to get him pissed at ya. Man that's talent you can't buy."

Cyclops sighed. This was the last thing he needed. "When I want your opinion I'll ask for it." You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Dude like it or not your getting my opinion. This ain't English class. All of us are here about to be briefed by the Prof about whatever mundo new group of psychos need to get their asses kicked. Maybe I'm a little slow but I think that means he's lookin at all of us as X-Men. So what makes you think it's the right thing to treat my roomie like she's a little kid who has no idea that she did a bad thing? Sorry dude but your gonna have ta deal cause none of us are gonna take that kind of crap from you any more."

Scott Summers was a stubborn man. But even he could see there was no upside to continuing this conversation. Fortunately he was saved from the embarrassment of an ignominious retreat when the connecting door to Xavier's office flew open and Logan stalked into the room.Taking in the tension between Scott and Jubilee his eyes swept the room looking for Marie.

"What the hell is goin on here? What happened ta Rogue?"

"She needed ta get some air dude. Said it was way too stuffy in here. Her and Frosty decided ta go stretch their legs."

Summers sheepishly nodded. "What she said. She just needed to get some fresh air."

Logan eyes shifted from Jubilee to Summers and back again. Cursing under his breath he went to find Rogue.

They were walking the hallways hand in hand. Bobby was just enjoying the fact that they were together again for the first time in nearly a week. Ever since that fight over his plans for school she had gone out of her way to avoid him. At first it had hurt. After all he had never made any secret over his intention to go away to college. He really didn't feel like she had any right to be mad at him over this. After a while he talked to Jubilee about it. She told him that all this was just another reminder to Rogue that there were things in her life she would never have. He could pass for normal in any group while Rogue's mutation made that impossible for her. He had turned to go saddened by the realization of what the Asian girl had said when she told him to wait.

"That's a pretty big part of her problem dude...but it's not all of it. Roguey's got issues...abandonment issues. Her parents kicked her out. Logan took off on her after the Liberty Island thing. Sure he came back...eventually. Now she's scared ta death he won't be able ta hack it here and he'll leave for good. Now you tell her...ok...ok...remind her of the fact that in four months time yer gonna be gone too. I know she loves ya Frosty but right now the girl is just tryin ta protect herself. Just give her a little space while she tries ta figure things out. But not too much space ya know."

Bobby thoughts were jolted back into the present when Rogue stopped suddenly. Turning to look at her he became a little worried. She had tears in her eyes. The only time he had ever seen her cry was in the infirmary the first night back from Liberty Island.

"Rogue...what's wrong. Look I know you're upset about Mr. Summers but you really don't..."

"Bobby...it's not that. Ah've been doin a lot of thinkin since we had that fight last week. When Logan got blown ta hell on that mission Ah decided ta tell him how important he was ta me. Ah didn't want ta take the chance that somethin might happen and Ah'd never be able ta let him know him how much a difference he's made in mah life. Ah'm ashamed ta say it but Ah owe you the same thing. After...after we argued Ah told myself it was for the best. You were gonna go away and Ah just had ta accept that. Sides what kind a relationship could we have...ya can't even kiss me. Ah told that ta Logan and he said that Ah was selling you short. He said ya knew what you were gettin when we started goin out. That maybe Ah should just believe ya when ya tell me it don't matter. Ah'm sorry Bobby...Logan was right. Ah was selling ya short. Ah'm sorry that Ah was afraid ta tell ya that Ah love ya."

Carefully Bobby Drake gripped her shoulders pulling her into a slow motion hug. With her the rule was you had better be safe or you would be sorry. Rogue stiffened for a moment and then relaxed into his embrace her arms wrapping around his waist.

"You don't know how much I've wanted to hear you say that Marie." He had told her on several occasions that he loved her only to get nothing but stony silence in return. "You know I should be the one apologizing to you. I didn't even think of what my going away would do to you. I talked to Jubes a few days ago. After our conversation I felt pretty stupid. She reminded me of stuff I should have thought about...after all it's happened to me too. When I go away that doesn't mean I don't love you and it doesn't mean I'm not coming back. I don't want us to be over just because we're apart for a while. Please tell me you want the same thing."

"Ah do want that Bobby...Ah want us ta be together. Ah guess Ah just get scared sometimes. Pushin people away is easier then lettin yourself get hurt. A lot of times Ah wonder why ya want ta be with me. Ah mean ya could do lots better then being with someone ya can't even touch."

"Rogue I wish you wouldn't beat yourself up over that. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you it doesn't matter. I give anything to be able to touch you. But Logan's right...I knew the score and being with you is the most important thing to me. I know it seems like a big thing and I'm not going to say it will be easy but we can find a way around it." Marie's brow furrowed as she recalled Logan saying almost exactly the same thing to her just a few days ago. When he had done more then just talk about finding a way around her mutation. He had shown her.

_He had just told her that if Drake wasn't making a big deal of her skin then maybe she should just believe him when he told her it didn't matter to him. _

"_How can Ah believe that Logan? Ah know mah mutation means Ah can't have a normal relationship and Bobby seems alright with that but how do Ah know he won't get tired of the fact that he can't even kiss me?"_

_Logan was incredulous. "What do ya mean he can't kiss ya? Why?"_

"_Duh...deadly skin. We did kiss...twice...when we were at his parents house in Boston. Right before the cops came and John went nuts. It went fine...more then fine the first time. But when we tried again the pull started right away. How the hell did ya think Ah could use Bobby's powers. He keeps wantin to try again but Ah won't let him. It hurts him Logan and Ah can't stand that."_

_Logan looked at her like he would a very slow child. "You kids watch too damn much TV. I can understand Snowball not comin up with somethin but I'm mighty disappointed in you darlin. Come over here."_

_Rogue slowly rose from her sitting position on Jubilee's bed and walked over to stand before him suspicion written on her face. "What are ya talkin about Logan? Ah know the score...Ah want things Ah'm nevah gonna have. That's just the way mah life is."_

_He could tell she believed what she was saying. And the thing that really bugged him was that she wasn't even all that sad about it. Just resigned. "Ya know kid just cause everyone thinks somethin is true don't make it so. I ain't learned too much in life but I'm pretty damn sure about that. Tilt yer head up a little and close yer eyes. I want ta show ya somethin." Rogue opened her mouth to protest. But Logan just smiled and shook his head. "Trust me darlin."_

_Rogue did trust him. More then she had ever trusted anyone. She knew that he would never do anything to hurt her. So despite the little voice in her head screaming that whatever he was planning was not a good idea she did as he asked. As soon as her eyes were closed Logan snagged the sheer white scarf off her dresser and floated it over her face. Then he leaned in and gave her a quick firm kiss on the mouth. _

_Rogue jerked back from him eyes wide. She brought her right hand up and touched it to her lips. "Logan...what was...how did you...did you just kiss me?"_

_She looked so surprised, eyes as big as saucers hand on her lips trapping the scarf against her face that he almost laughed. "Ya catch on real fast darlin. Ya know what yer problem is kid ? Ya got no imagination. With all the scarfs ya got..."_

_Rogue's left hand darted out grabbing his flannel overshirt. Before he knew what was happening they were kissing again. However where he had given her little more then a peck on the lips, her mouth was on him hot and hungry, her right hand coming up to clutch at the hair on the back of his head. For Logan strangely enough it was an unfamiliar sensation. He was not in the habit of kissing any of the women who had shared his bed over the years that he could remember. To him the act of sex had been all about the needed release of sexual tension. Kissing bespoke of an intimacy that he hadn't wanted or needed. Just because he was fucking them didn't mean that he had to share himself with them. But this was...well he didn't really know what the hell it was. Marie gave a small moan from deep in her throat. That noise snapped him back to awareness. Whatever they had it was not this. Bringing his hands up he used a steady gentle pressure on her shoulders to break the kiss._

"_What the hell was that kid...practice?"_

_As the scarf fluttered to the floor Marie suddenly realized what she had been doing and blushed ducking her head to avoid his gaze. "Sorry Logan...Ah just...well Ah wanted ta do that since the first time Ah saw ya. Ah'm...well Ah just couldn't resist. Thank you."_

"_What are ya thanking me for? You were doin all the work." Seeing that his flippant remark had upset her he reached out to touch her shoulder. "Look at me darlin. Don't think I ever had anyone kiss me like you did. Like they cared. But it ain't somethin we're gonna do again. You need ta show Drake that there are ways around your little problem. Just do me a favor and don't tell him about our trial run. Don't want ta wake up frozen in a block of ice."_

"Earth to Rogue...are you still with me?"

"Sorry Bobby...I was just thinkin." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him down the hallway. "Ah just thought of somethin Ah want ta show ya."

Bobby Drake wasn't sure what was going on. But he knew Marie well enough to know that when she got that look on her face the best thing he could do was to go along. His confusion only grew when a few minutes later found them outside Logan's room the door of which Rogue opened with a key. As soon as they were inside she untied the scarf around her neck and gently laid it across his face. Before he had time to react her gloved hands were around his neck and her full soft lips kissed his with only the thin barrier of the scarf protecting him. It was a little odd but the fact that he was kissing Marie without the vein popping after effects more then made up for that. Then she opened her mouth and slid her tongue against his and...God...her mouth was hot and wet and she was moaning and grabbing the back of his neck. When they finally came up for air she gave him the most dazzling smile and pulled him down on the bed. After a few seconds he ended up on his back with Rogue straddling his hips. He looked up at her and when he saw her face he knew. She wanted him. Marie was gazing down at him lust written plainly on her face. The scarf came down on him and her mouth quickly followed.

He didn't need this kind of aggravation. He'd set out to find Marie and tell her what was going on only to be called back by Janet before he'd even gotten to the stairs. Xavier wanted him there when he told the other X-Men about what was going down with Fury tonight. Predictably this triggered a long argument with Summers about how bad an idea it was for him to meet this guy alone. Like he didn't know that. Finally he managed to get away after telling Cyclops to mind his own fucking business. Then he had to spend some extra time outside Xavier's office with Janet. She also thought that going in without some kind of backup was not smart. He tried to tell her something that would reassure her but in the end since they were both stubborn he left her angry with him over what she called his "macho pride." He didn't feel real good about her being mad at him but this was something he had to do. The fact that he was going to meet someone who might finally be able to give him some of the answers he had been searching for made it difficult for him to think clearly.

Making his escape he quickly picked up Rogue scent. Actually Rogue and Drake. Musing about how them being together was a good sign (she had of course told him of their fight) he tracked them to Marie's room which was empty. Getting more frustrated by the second he had about decided to give up and started in the direction of his room when he noticed that they had gone that way too. Stalking down the hallway he was reaching for the door knob when it hit him. Someone was very horny. Then he heard what sounded like moans coming from inside. Wait a minute...his room? And mixed up with the scent of arousal were the distinctive smells of Marie and Drake. Being that he was not a reflective man he opened the door and took one step...and then stopped dead.

Bobby Drake was lying flat on his back right in the middle of Logan's bed. Marie stretched out on top of him like a cat. At the sound of the door opening her head jerked up breaking their passionate embrace. A moment later Bobby became aware of who was staring at them and he too bolted which resulted in a startled Rogue being dumped unceremoniously on her ass. He had to admit it was funny but he wasn't exactly in a laughing mood.

"What the hell are you two doin?" Yeah it was kind of lame...but he couldn't think of anything else at the moment.

"Mah Gawd...do Ah have ta explain it to ya Logan? Ya know it wouldn't kill ya ta knock first." While Drake was red faced with embarrassment she was pissed that he had humiliated them by barging in.

"It's my damn room Marie. What the hell made you think it was alright ta..."

"You said Ah could use yer room when Ah needed some privacy. Ya gave me a Gawd damn key!"

"I know that darlin. Just kinda expected ya ta ask me first." He wanted to be mad at her. He had every right to be angry. But she was Marie. And she was mad as hell at him. Shit...he wasn't supposed to give a damn.

"Kid...Marie I'm sorry about bustin in on ya. I got a lot on my mind and I guess I ain't thinkin too damn good right now."

Bobby was sure he was hearing things. Logan actually apologizing. Saying he was sorry. That was something he never thought he'd hear. Maybe 'sorry I didn't hit him hard enough' but 'sorry I walked into my own room and interrupted your make out session?" He knew Logan had a close bond with his girlfriend but had never really understood how close. He wasn't sure right now how he felt about that. Said girlfriend's mood had changed from anger to concern. Pulling herself off the floor she walked over to stand before him.

"What's wrong Logan? Did Donald tell ya what she was hidin from ya?"

He showed her the note. After looking at it for nearly a minute she handed it to Bobby who could see that she didn't like this one bit. "So yer goin...ain't ya? Ya know how stupid this is? What makes ya think ya can trust this Fury?"

"Ain't a question of trust kid. No way I'm walkin away from this. First time since I started lookin that someone turns up who knew me before Stryker. Wouldn't ya know the bastard couldn't just be some guy drivin a truck. No...he runs a fucking spy agency. Still it's the best chance I've ever had and I'm takin it."

He felt awkward no question. Bobby's usual policy was to say as little to Logan as possible. But in this case he had to ask. "What I don't like is they want you to come alone. Does this guy even know what happened...that you don't even really know who he is anymore?"

That surprised Logan. Not the question, just the fact that Drake would ask him. "Don't think so. Wish the hell I did remember him. It would be damn handy ta know if we were enemies or not."

"Ah know how important this is to ya Logan. Ah just really think it's a bad idea ta meet this guy without someone watchin yer back. Ya know he just told you ta come alone. Ya can bet yer ass he won't be"

He nodded in approval. "Ya got that right kid. But do me a favor...don't go spreadin that around. Cyke and Janet were already givin me hell for wantin ta do this. I'm betting that Fury don't know nothin about what happened ta me. Not about the memories I ain't got and certainly not about the claws." He could smell the anxiety that she was feeling. She was afraid for him. It just wasn't something he had any experience dealing with before he came to this place.

"I'm gonna be fine kid. Chuck knows where I'm meeting this guy and when. No doubt Cyke and Ro will be waitin nearby. I'll give ya a call on the cell as soon as it's over. Why don't you and Ice Cube here go back ta what ya were doin. After all ya got my room all ta yerself for the rest of the night." He leaned closer a wicked grin on his face and whispered in her ear. "Got condoms in the dresser...top drawer."

"Ya big jerk!" She punched his shoulder. "Shit! Damn metal bones!" Rubbing her hand Rogue glowered at him. "Ah want you back here mister. Don't make me come hunt yer ass down."

"It's gonna be just fine darlin. I promise ya." There was really nothing more he could say so he just closed the door and walked away.

Even though it was hours before the meeting Logan was itching to get out of the mansion. First he stopped by the small office located in the gym. Unlocking the metal cabinet he removed one of the Glocks. Strapping on a shoulder holster he shoved a couple of spare clips into the pocket of this leather jacket and made his way to the garage. He was not particularly surprised to find Janet there waiting for him.

"Yer not gonna give me a hard time again...are ya darlin?"

"No Logan. I know this is important to you. I just wish you'd be more careful. I don't understand why you won't wear a wire. Just because it was Scott's idea doesn't mean you had to say no."

Summers had spent a lot of time berating him for refusing to use the comm links that they all typically wore on missions. "Don't want ta screw this up. Their fuckin spies darlin. No way they ain't gonna know I'm miked." He unzipped his jacket enough for her to clearly see the Glock. "I am being careful."

"A gun? What would you need that for?"

Something else other then the gun caught her attention. She noticed the picture peeking out of his shirt pocket. Slowly she reached for it while looking at him for permission. He gave her a small nod and she took it. Having not really had the opportunity to get a good look before she spent a minute just staring at it occasionally glancing at the man next to her. Superficially they appeared exactly the same, and yet they were also different. The Logan she knew could certainly be a reticent man at times, but usually one could see whatever he was feeling displayed plainly on his face. She very much doubted that had ever been true with this Logan. The carefully crafted expression he wore gave away nothing. And yet they were both obviously the same person right down to the facial features and even the wild, spiky hair with no discernable change...as her mind suddenly grasped what was wrong she felt a shiver run down her spine. When she looked up from the photograph he knew that something had changed. All he could do was wait for her to tell him what.

"Logan are you sure that this is you. Because I don't see how that's possible. This picture has to be from before you were altered. How could you...why is it that you don't look any different?"

Logan mentally cursed that she was bringing this up now. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to her why he didn't look any older now then he did in the photograph she was holding. He knew that on the whole his healing factor gave him many advantages. But he had never considered the fact that he didn't age normally to be one of them. While he understood there were plenty of people that would not have shared this feeling, he felt strongly that was because they had never really thought it through. First of all it was impossible to hide. If you stayed in one place long enough you were bound to be noticed. Then there was the fact that it cut him off from everybody, and not just humans; because he could never truly understand one of the fundamental facts of life. Lately he had discovered another reason. Now that he had finally found people that mattered to him on some level he feared that the fact of his not aging would eventually become a source of pain for both them and him. It was something he never liked to think about much less discuss with someone else.

"Well darlin I can't be one hundred percent sure...but my gut instinct tells me it is. Sides assuming this joker don't know I lost my memory why the hell would he think he could fool me with a picture. He has ta believe I'll know who he is."

"But I don't understand...how could it be you? Even if you...you don't look older..."

"I heal kid...from anything...even that."

He could tell right away that she understood that this was not something he was happy about. Instead of the fear he had seen when he first popped his claws he only saw something like sadness in her eyes. "So...you really don't know how old you are. I had always thought given that you looked to be in your thirties that you just didn't know what year you were born. My God. Do you have any idea at all?"

"Not a clue darlin. I know I gotta be older then most people think. Otherwise how the hell did I learn how ta fight like I do...especially the sword fightin? It's not that I ain't gettin older..I am. Just a lot slower then everyone else. Ain't somethin I really like ta think about. But there it is. I could be forty or one hundred and forty. I suppose it matters, but since I can't remember anything from before I can't see how."

"Logan...I have a feeling that whatever you find out about your past...either tonight from this Fury or from any leads he can give you, it will never be enough. You just said yourself you have no idea how long you lived before Stryker. Who knows how much you've lost. How will you ever be able to say that you've found enough?"

"I don't know damn it! All I do know darlin is I used ta have a life before Stryker fucked me up. I know I can't have it back...hell I don't even know if I'd want it back. That's the problem for me...not knowing. Yer probably right darlin...findin all the answers ain't possible. But I gotta try. It ain't somethin I can just walk away from."

She watched him mount his bike and then impulsively stepped to his side reaching out to grasp his left hand. "I know you can take care of yourself. Just remember that all of us care about you...we want to see you back here in one piece."

Slowly raising her hand to his lips he softly kissed her there. "Ain't nothin gonna keep me away from here. See ya darlin."

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The Do Drop Inn had seen better days. No doubt at some point in the past it had been quite popular as the only place where the hard working locals could get a drink. Places like it served as the social center for rural communities across the country. Problem was that the area was no longer rural and the subdivisions that were now scattered through the farmers fields were filled not with farmers but with young professions that wouldn't be caught dead in the place. Still the dump stayed open and from the look of the parking lot had found a new clientele as a biker bar. No doubt they were attracted to it for the same reasons that Fury had suggested it as a meeting place. It was outside the jurisdiction of any of the local townships and was still quite isolated by its location on a single out of the way county road.

Logan had been watching the place the better part of two hours now and had come to the conclusion that things were not quite as they appeared. The parking lot had slowly filled up until maybe half the space was taken up with bikes of various styles and sizes. Nothing any self respecting biker wouldn't be proud to drive. Just too new. Then there was the fact that while customers were arriving at a steady if somewhat irregular pace very few of them ever seemed to leave. But the thing that clinched his suspicions was the fact that in the entire time he had watched there was no evidence of any fighting. Friday night at a biker bar without fights? In a way it made him feel better about things. If they couldn't be bothered to try and disguise what they were doing they probably didn't have anything to hide. Either that or they didn't feel they needed to. He shrugged looking at his watch. Showtime. Making his way down the hill he hopped on the bike and gunned it down the road.

Jesus H Christ. He stood just inside the doorway eyes scanning the room. The dimly lit, smoky bar was full of bikers alright. Only they were the sorriest bunch he'd ever laid eyes on. Tricked out in almost identical shiny new leather jackets. Not a beer belly or a missing tooth in the bunch. The stench of gun oil was so thick he almost gagged. Some spies these jokers turned out to be. Suddenly his mood brightened considerably because while the biker chicks were just as phoney, they looked one hell of a lot better then their real life counterparts. He focused on one standing by the bar. She was tugging on the hem of her micro-mini leather skirt but the new material refused to budge. Her caught her eye and for a second he saw a flash of panic, but then it was gone and she gave him what she apparently thought was a seductive smile and looked away. This was going to be fun. Slowly he closed the distance. The bartender, an enormous man with red hair shot through with gray and an impressive handle bar moustache was giving him the evil eye so he just ignored him planting himself right next to the woman.

"Hey baby...ya come here often?"

She had been looking in the opposite direction but at the sound of his voice her head whipped around to face him that look of panic back. Good.

"What... I mean...are you talking to me?"

Fight the sudden urge to roll his eyes he flashed an evil grin. "Sure ain't talkin ta gramps here. Yer a damn fine lookin woman ya know that darlin. Kind a woman I'd like ta get to know better. A lot better."

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed several of the "bikers" starting to move in his direction only to stop suddenly and turn away.

"What are ya drinkin darlin?"

It took several seconds before she could get her mouth to work. "I'll have a ...banana daiquiri."

"Darlin they don't serve crap like that here. Hey bartender...why don't ya make yerself useful and get me a bottle of Beam and a couple a glasses. This gal here is mighty thirsty."

For a second he thought the man was going to smash the bottle over his head. But he just scowled and set it down with a loud thump. "That'll be forty dollars."

"Put it on my fucking tab."

The man just glared at him. "You always were an asshole Logan."

Surprised Logan half turned to face him when a voice called out from behind. "Are you done screwing around? I sure as hell didn't go to all this trouble to get you here just so you could pick up one of my agents."

There was a man standing by the end of the bar an open door behind him. He was about six foot one and had a broad shouldered athletic build. Same face, same smile, and same eye patch. And this time he was the one smoking a cigar. Nick Fury. One other thing. He was holden a sawed off double barreled shot gun which he was not quite pointing at Logan.

**A/n: Happy Ria? Now hurry up with an update!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**A/n: Glad you enjoyed my little joke Rhia. You were right, Fury did need a good cigar. As for dissension all I can say is** **hey this is the X-Men. Dee you went to a comic book convention! Now that's research! You don't need to remind me about the holidays...I work in retail (a bookstore) so I sure will be a little slow in updating this come December. Just don't leave me hanging too long...that's all I ask. Thanks for the kind word XinnLaigin. Welcome aboard. I was just about to send out this update when your review popped up Viperion. So I hope this is soon enough. Glad you like what I'm doing. As always any comments good or bad are appreciated. Thanks for reading.**

Could his life get any stranger? It wasn't enough that he was a mutant who could heal from anything. Someone had to go and fuck with his memories and coat his bones with a indestructible metal, not to mention giving him six deadly claws in the bargain. And of course when he runs into some runaway kid he just can't walk away from her. No not him. And if that wasn't stupid enough (the definition of helping someone you don't know when they have nothing you want in return) he has to go and compound it may times over by deciding to help not just her but a whole school full of kids as well. But the situation he found himself in at the moment made all the rest of it seem almost...normal. He was here tonight to talk with a man he didn't know about a past he didn't remember. This guy who wanted the meeting (about what he had no idea) was expecting Logan to know him. How the hell was he supposed to fake that while at the same time getting the information that was the only reason he was here. In any event he had more pressing concerns at the moment. Like the shotgun Fury was holding.

"What ya got that for bub? Thought we was havin a **friendly **get together."

For a second Logan read confusion in Fury's eyes. Then the man just smiled at him. "Friendly huh. Last time we talked you said if you ever saw me again you'd strangle me with my own guts."

Shit he thought what the hell could he say to that. At least it was good to know he hadn't changed all that much since losing his memories. "Long time ago Fury. Lot a water under the bridge. Ya know I'm real flattered that ya went ta all this trouble. Mighty kind of ya ta provide me with booze and a babe. But ya really didn't have ta dress everyone up in leather and park all those hogs out there just ta make me feel at home."

The bartender had walked around to stand by Fury. He did not appear amused by Logans comments. "Just shut up Logan." Turning to Fury his scowl only deepened. "Wipe that smile off your face boss. It's your damn fault that I only had a day and a half to get this up and running. And it wasn't my bright idea to dress the headquarters staff up like Hell's Angels rejects. I'll be damned if I'll let you interrupt my retirement again just so idiots like him can have a laugh at my expense."

"Relax Dum Dum. We kept all the locals out...that's all I could ask for. Besides Logan here probably needed a good laugh. And if all this puts him in a happy mood then it was money well spent. Come on in back Logan...we got some things to talk about."

Although it never showed on his face Logan was relieved that he wouldn't have to try and act like he knew yet another stranger. Nodding he quietly followed the other man through the door he had come out of. Once inside Fury laid the shotgun on a table that along with two chairs were the rooms only furnishings. Logan took one of the chairs while the other man poured them both a glass of whiskey from a bottle placed at the center of the table. They both sat facing each other in silence. He had no doubt that regardless of the man's abilities that he could kill him quickly and silently. The twenty or so heavily armed people outside the door would be another story. His sense of smell had revealed no mutants among them. So unless...there were rumors of non-mutants with extraordinary powers, some of whom supposedly worked for the government. Mentally he shrugged. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

"So ya mind cluing be in on why I was invited to yer little dress up party?"

Fury took a swallow of whiskey and placed it back on the table, right by the shotgun. "What the hell are you doing at Xavier's? Who are you working for Logan?"

"What do ya mean? I ain't workin for no one but myself. What the hell do you care anyway?"

"Bullshit Logan. Are you trying to tell me your not being paid by someone to be there? So what am I supposed to believe...that your there helping Xavier because of your genuine concern for your fellow mutant?"

So Fury knew he was a mutant. Not too surprising since he was at Xavier's. And he apparently found the idea of Logan actually helping others pretty hard to swallow. Well when it can right down to it so did he. "Don't really give a rat's ass what you believe Fury. Xavier and me have an understanding. He figured he might need some extra help dealing with certain problems. Problems like Stryker." He was flying blind now hoping that Strykers name would bring something out of Fury.

"I find it pretty damn hard to believe Xavier would pay you enough to make it worth your while. Not the kind of thing he's ever done in the past. Against his principles. So you were there when Stryker hit the school?" At Logan nod Fury laughed quietly, but is was not a pleasant sound at all. "That fucker must have been surprised as hell to find you there. Of course I can't say I'd blame him since I am too. I don't know what kind of game your playing over there but if your planning on screwing with them you better think again."

"You need to mind your own fucking business Fury. Sides what the hell you care what happens to a bunch of damn muties. Don't tell me you forgot that the government you work for ain't got much use for us. Xavier might buy your bullshit but I ain't him. If your so concerned about what happens to those kids why the hell didn't we have any warning before that asshole attacked us.

"Because we didn't know damn it! I already been over this with Xavier and I sure as hell don't have to explain anything to you." Snatching the glass up Fury quickly drained it before pouring himself another. "You've been out of the game a long time haven't you Logan? There's a lot of things you don't seem to know about. SHIELD isn't part of U.S. intelligence any more. We report to the U.N. That doesn't mean we can just tell them to go to hell. The last thing my bosses want is for me to get in a pissing contest with the American government over something they really don't care that much about."

Logan pulled a cigar from the inside pocket of his coat no longer bothering to hide the gun. He started padding his pockets for a light but Fury quickly tossed him his own. "So why the hell are you gettin involved? Why the deal with Xavier...and what do ya want with me?"

"I deal in threats to international security. Now you and I both know the vast majority of mutants don't fit into that category. Hell most of you don't have any powers that are worth a shit. If that were the case for all of you then all the idiot racist treatment in the world wouldn't justify SHIELD getting involved. Unfortunately while most mutants just want to be left alone to live normal lives like everyone else some of you have both the inclination and the power to make life difficult for the rest of us."

"Well fucking excuse me for not just sitting around when shits like Stryker decide it's open season on us. What the hell you think's gonna happen when the U.S. government decides a dog has more rights then we do?"

There it was that look again. But this time it was written all over his face. Confusion. And something else. It was damn hard to tell what but suddenly things didn't look so good. "Us Logan...what the hell is that all about? Now I admit I haven't seen you in over twenty years...and we were never exactly buddies. But I did know you well enough to know that there was never anyone you cared about but you."

That hand that had lingered by the drink slid to the shotgun. The other one came up from beneath the table where it had been during their conversation. Just a little metal box with a single button at center. Fury's thumb was on the button. Not this again. At the other man's first movement Logan had been prepared to assault him but when he saw the box he froze in place. Silently he cursed himself for his overconfidence as Fury pointed the weapon at his chest. A weapon that could hurt him badly if only for a few minutes. A weapon someone could hold in one hand. There was no way to get to him before he released that button.

"Glad to see your still a smart man Logan. If that's who you really are. I admit that I was damn surprised when you turned up again after all these years...especially at a place like Xavier's. At first I was ...suspicious. But your little performance taking down Donald plus what you told her had me curious. You've been off the grid a damn long time. Figured you had to be dead. But you sure as hell looked like the man I knew. Exactly like him. Just like I would expect...no older then when I last saw you. That kind of reassured me. If someone was impersonating you they would hardly know about that. If they wanted to make me believe it was you some alterations in appearance would be expected. But the more I thought about it the less sure I was. I think I know what Mystique is up to but I figure there are probably others who can do the same trick. Decided the only way to know for sure is to meet you face to face. Now I'm less sure then ever. So you're going to have to convince me Logan...or you're not going to be walking out of here alive." 

"You think whatever it is your gonna do can stop me you'd better think again. If you've been watchin me you know what happened when I hit That FOH safe house. Any bomb that goes off in here ain't gonna keep me down for too damn long. It would be more then worth it for me not ta have ta see your fucking mug again."

"What are you nuts? This ain't a bomb. I let go of this a SHIELD strike squad comes though that door ten seconds later. You made a lot of mistakes Logan. Screwed up by even coming here. When I sent you that note I was sure you'd suggest another time and place. No way the Logan I knew would fuck things up this bad. In fact there's no way he'd even involve himself in anything like this."

He wanted to kick himself. He'd been so damned eager to meet this man and just as ready to believe that he could handle anything they might dish out. Still he was pretty sure that Fury didn't know what Stryker had done to him and that gave him an edge. But the last thing he wanted to do was kill the man who might finally be able to tell him who he was. Even if it didn't sound like such a pretty picture.

"So ya got me all figured out huh? Maybe yer not as smart as ya think. Who the hell do ya reckon I've been livin with the past few months. Do ya really believe that if I wasn't who I say that Chuck wouldn't know? Yer right about one thing Fury. I ain't the man ya thought I was. He's been dead for eighteen years now. But I am Logan...and if ya don't believe that ya better send in yer goons...for all the good it'll do ya." SNICK! The claws punched through the skin of his right hand.

It wasn't an easy thing to surprise Nick Fury. "Jesus Christ! What the fucking hell happened to your claws Logan?"

If anything Logan was even more dumbstruck. "How did you...what do ya ...you knew!"

Shaking his head the director of SHIELD laid his weapon down and started reaching for his glass then changed his mind and snatched up the bottle. Taking a long drink he wordlessly handed it to the other man who didn't stop until it was half empty. For the first time since they entered the room Fury flashed a smile.

"Lucky bastard. That's what you should have done the minute you walked in here. Nothing had me doubting it was you more then the fact that you weren't drinking. Only saw those fucking things once. Dockyards of Madripoor...the night you killed Strucker. Let me tell ya you weren't too damn happy about it."

"Ya mean I had the claws before..." Logan's voice faltered...his mind having difficulty comprehending what the man was telling him. One of the very few things he considered certain about himself was that Stryker had given him the claws.

"You had claws alright...but nothing like those things. They were made of bone...long, white, and sharp as hell. Punched through Strucker like he was made of paper. Surprised the hell out him. Me too." Fury frowned and took the bottle back for another drink. "What happened to you Logan?"

Retracting the claws Logan used the pain and a few deep breaths to center himself. "Tell yer boys ta shut down their wire. What I'm gonna tell you ain't for them ta hear."

Fury hand disappeared into his coat pocket. "It's done. Was it Stryker?"

God thought Logan was there anything he didn't know? In silent agreement they both sat down again. He explained how even today he only really knew for sure what had been done to him because of what Jean and Xavier had managed to piece together. That and the dreams. That he didn't remember anything before waking up naked in the snows of Northern Canada. How over the years the nightmares he had slowly revealed to him the full horror of Strykers abuse of him. And how after almost two decades of living a solitary existence on the fringes of society he ran into Rogue and found himself mixed up in the X-Men's struggle to stop Magneto. Fury of course already knew about Liberty Island although he was taken aback at how Xavier had edited the account he had given to him to hide Logan's involvement. Finally there was the disastrous confrontation with Logan's past in the person of William Stryker. When he was done they sat silently regarding each other from across the table. Then Logan finished the bottle.

"That fucking son of a bitch" Fury at length murmured. "The last time I saw you I tried to warn you off him. Of course after what happened in Japan you didn't really want to see my face much less listen to me."

Logan felt his heart sink. This sounded like the confirmation of his worst fears. That he had actually worked with Stryker. But nevertheless he was determined to know. "What are ya sayin Fury? The last time I saw Stryker alive he told me that what he done ta me was something I agreed to...volunteered for. Are ya telling me that's true? That I worked for him?"

"You never really worked for anybody Logan. Not then. You didn't do long term. You took jobs. For a few select organizations. Stryker and you knew each other from Nam. I think you were doing some intelligence gathering for the CIA Somehow he found out about your little secret. After that he wanted you working for him exclusively. I mean he practically had a hard-on for you. I'm pretty sure you told him more then once to go fuck himself. All that changed after Japan."

He had so many questions he didn't know where to start. "I take it at least some of those jobs were for you? What kinda...what the hell did I do for ya?"

"Gathering intel and doing recon mostly. You were the absolute best at getting into and out of a situation without anyone knowing you'd ever been there. Shit you wouldn't believe some of the places we sent you into. In fact most of the time you seemed to be more interested in how big the challenge was. Money wasn't a big thing. Not that you ever did any freebies for me. Your natural advantages made you perfect for that kind of work Plus you could speak or learn any language that you needed to and you had an incredible memory for codes. Any code ever devised, you had it down cold. Shit...it's pretty fucking ironic when you think about it."

"I don't do irony. You tellin me the only thing I ever did for you was sneak in and out of places? Don't seem like my style Fury. Stryker seemed ta think killin was more in my line of work"

"Why the hell would you believe anything that sack of shit had to say? I don't like to farm out wet work. If we have to do it we do it ourselves. Besides there are other ways to deal with people that you need to get rid of. Those kind of individuals usually have a lot of dirty secrets. Things they don't want to see the light of day. If you end up having to kill them then it's almost always because you screwed up. Back then we had a pretty good idea who people would call on when they needed that kind of job done. You weren't on the list."

It just was hard for him to accept. For years one of his darkest fears had been that he had served men like Stryker in that kind of capacity. "Ya know I find it pretty damn difficult ta believe I ever had a problem with killin."

"Never said you had a problem with it. You didn't have any worry over killing for yourself or if you thought someone deserved it. And the fucking Nazis we knocked off sure fell into that category."

"Nazis! I know you ain't had that much to drink Fury. Now are you shitting me or are you telling me...what the hell...I might not know much but no one's been fighting Nazis since World War II."

"Too true Logan. Though I did run an operation in the late fifties...some of them got out of Germany and set themselves up in South America. And of course we still have Hydra." Getting up he walked to the door knocked twice then opened it. "Dum Dum...another bottle." Less then two minutes later they were both seated at the table glasses refilled.

"Damn it Fury I know you ain't no mutant. I could smell it on ya if ya was. So's how did...you dirty son of a bitch. I think I was right all along. I just might strangle you with your own guts."

"So you finally noticed huh?" He nudged the little tin square with the button that he had left on the table. "Kid's toy. Makes a clicking noise when ya press the button. You gave it to me when we were working together in France during the war. We each had one so we wouldn't start shooting at each other in the dark. At the time I didn't know you had no use for it. That was supposed to be my ace in the hole. Figured if you didn't know what it was you couldn't be Logan. Before you start gutting me maybe you want to hear about it?"

Fury's platoon had been pinned down on the beach in Sicily for almost two hours when a gruff Canadian came crawling up to their position and told them that he knew of a way to get up the cliffs and behind the German machine guns. It wasn't until after those guns were knocked out twenty minutes later that Fury had thought to ask the man his name. It was Jim Howlett of the US/Canadian Special Forces. Then the man just grinned at Fury. "But you can call me Logan."

They didn't see each other again for nearly a year. This time Fury was part of a select group of soldiers dropped behind enemy lines and assist the French resistance in the disruption of German communications and supply. D-Day was less then a week away. The OSS contact meeting them at their drop zone was Logan. For the next ten days they moved about the countryside from one group of fighters to another with Logan serving as both translator and at times advocate for them to the often distrusting French. During the time spent sabotaging bridges and cutting telegraph lines Fury noticed that whenever possible Logan himself favored using stealth over direct confrontation. When asked why he told them the Germans didn't shoot as many hostages when they just blew things up. After six days they ran out of explosives. After eight days they were almost out of time. The Germans were closing in and it became a race as their little group tried to stay out of enemy hands until Allied forces reached their position. At this point Fury stopped talking and drained the rest of his whiskey.

"We'd moved three times already that night trying to stay away from the Krauts. Each time you'd go ahead on your own and scout out a new place to hide. By then we'd been running for almost four days straight and most of us were dead on out feet. Except you of course. So as soon as we settled in this old shed you took off just like the other times. Only you don't come back...at least the way you usually did. It was my watch and I'll tell you I don't know how I kept my fucking eyes open. I swear Logan the way you just appeared without making a sound I thought I had fallen asleep. You clothes were all ripped up with blood spattered all over. But the thing that really freaked me out was the black sweater you wore. It was just getting light enough for me to see it. Both your sleeves were...well red. There was so much blood soaked into them that they were red to your elbows and dripping. I asked you what the fuck happened and you just growled like a damn bear and looked at your arms like you were just noticing them. You ripped that sweater off and stalked into the shed. Two hours later some US troops overran our position. I went in to tell you but you were gone. Didn't see you again for nearly twenty years."

At this point Fury quietly regarded Logan then pulled another cigar out. Lighting it he took a few puffs. "There was a small town about a mile and a half away. The unit that found us had orders to take it so our little group tagged along. I'll tell you I was damn glad that the Germans had already pulled out. We marched right into the center of town when a couple of people approached us. Of course we couldn't understand a damn thing they were saying but they just pointed at one of the buildings off the town square...the one with a small crowd milling around out front. Found out later it was Gestapo headquarters for the province. Even though we didn't speak the language we could tell just by looking at them something bad had happened. Just inside the doorway were two men missing their heads. As it turned out they were the most complete corpses in the place. Most of the rest were in pieces...sometimes very small pieces at that. Made it hard as hell to figure how many actual bodies were inside. I think they eventually decided on fifteen...more or less."

A million things were going through his head. How old was he? If he was the mercenary that Fury seemed to think what the hell was he doing fighting in World War II? What kind of jobs had he done for this man...and other people? What kind of man had he been? But right now there was one question that was really bothering him and for a change it had nothing to do with his past.

"I know you ain't a mutant Fury so you want ta explain how the hell yer here with me when you should be dead or kickin up yer heals at the VA retirement home?"

There is was again...that damn grin. Logan had a sudden urge to wipe it off his face. "No Logan I'm not. It's none of your damn business. Besides I'm a spy. Got to have some secrets." Fury didn't really know this man...but he knew that look. Time to change the subject. "So you really can tell if someone is a mutant just by the way they smell?"

He wasn't sure why but he didn't think he liked where this was going. "Yea I can. Everyone I ever ran into has their own district scent. But there's always a part of that scent that's exactly the same...and that part is different if you're a mutant. You gotta reason for askin me this?"

"Tit for tat Logan. My turn to ask some questions. I never got a straight answer to my first one so here it is again. What the hell are you doing at Xavier's? Because you may not be the man I used to know, but your still not someone who just helps people out. Why?"

"Yer right about that, least you used to be. I...I don't rightly understand why either. Until I ran inta Rogue all I wanted was ta keep as far away from people as I could. At first she was the only reason I stayed...the only one I could really give a shit about. Don't know why things changed except my instincts which had been telling me ta get the hell away from these people did a flip. Just knew that for me being there was the thing I needed to do."

"Instincts huh. Well I'm damn glad that someone in that nut house that has some. Bunch of idiot do-gooders don't have the sense to keep themselves alive. They have no idea how things work in the real world. Xavier used to be the worst of the lot but I think he's gotten a little smarter since Stryker paid you a visit."

"Tell me somethin I don't know. How bout this for starters. What's yer angle Fury? I can understand the Hydra crap. Then havin a bunch a super powered slaves workin for em would end up makin your life pretty hard. But you were screwin around feedin info ta Chuck before any of that started. What do you care what happens ta a bunch of mutie kids?"

"Because those kids got to have some place to go for protection besides Lenscherr. Without Xavier's school half of them would be working for that nut job right now. The other half would be dead. The way I figure it Xavier is the only mutant leader that has a chance of offering an alternative to what Magneto is preaching. I see helping him as the best way I know to stop full scale violence from breaking out between mutants and the rest of us.

"Even Xavier has his breakin point Fury. Push him hard enough and long enough and see how peaceful he still is. I'll tell ya this, my fuse is a lot shorter. You want our help in dealing with Mags then you better start dreamin up a way ta deal with all the fuckers out there that don't think mutants have a right to be alive."

"Sorry Logan...if I could pull the trigger on every one of them I'd do it with a smile. But that isn't the way things work in the real world. Right now there are plenty of people who hate mutants. But their still in the minority. What most people feel toward you is fear. But it wouldn't take much for Lenscherr or someone like him to drive the frightened ones toward hatred. I need all the help I can get if there's going to be any chance of stopping that. I need Xavier's help and I could sure as hell use yours."

"What do ya mean Fury? What kind of fucking help are we talkin about?" What a waste of time! He wasn't here to chat about shit like this!

"There are certain jobs that I might need done that would be better done by a person who is not officially part of SHIELD. That is especially true of almost anything mutant related. The UN is not willing to buck American policy when it comes to this issue. Normally I'd turn them over to Xavier but some of these problems aren't ones he'd be willing to deal with...at least the way I'd want him to."

"Ya mean he won't kill or take your stinking orders from ya...and ya think I will! You gotta be our of yer mind ta think I'd off any mutant on yer say so."

"Oh I don't know Logan. I can think of at least one you wouldn't mind seeing dead. But like I said before...SHIELD doesn't farm out that kind of work. What I need is someone that can take care of problems before they get in the evening news. I don't care how the problems are solved. As long as you make them go away you can do it any way you want."

Logan ran his left hand through his hair and then poured himself some more whiskey. At the moment he was feeling overwhelmed by all that he had learned. He'd found out more in the last half hour then he had in eighteen years. But it wasn't the stuff he was really after. Things like the names of his parents, or how old he really was. Did he have a family of his own some where wanting to know what had become of him? A wife and kids? Apparently Fury didn't have an answer to any of those questions. Or at least he wasn't saying. And now...now the same man who seemed his best hope for finding these answers was asking him to go back to an old life that he didn't know anything about. Asking him to do his dirty work for him. With a visible effort he managed to reign in the rage that grew within him. When he spoke the words came out in a low rasping voice.

"So what's your deal Fury? You want to trade information you got on me for my helping you with your little problems? How the hell do I know if you got anything else...or even that what you just told me ain't a lie?"

"You're the one with the built in lie detector Logan. You tell me. Like I said before we weren't exactly buddies. After France I saw you five other times. Twice in Madripoor and three other times in the states. You never really were willing to talk too much about yourself so there isn't much more for me to tell you. I know you lived in Madripoor for at least ten years and that you left for good shortly after you killed Strucker. We never really found out where you settled after that. Some of my agents had theories but nothing that ever really panned out. Your were a very devious man Logan and no doubt didn't want anyone from SHIELD to be able to pay you a visit."

"So you don't even know where I was livin. Did I have a family...friends or relatives? There's got ta be someone out there that knows more then this shit! How the hell did you even let me know when ya had a job for me?"

"We had to place an notice in...oh I think it was ten major newspapers in various cities...all in the US. That was after Madripoor of course. You would call us within five days. If we didn't hear from you by then you weren't interested in working. Then of course you had to approve the job. Let me tell ya...you were a real pain in the ass. But since you were the best I put up with it. If you were just an ordinary guy we wouldn't even be talking. Logan there are some things I can do...for one I have a file on you. Most of it deals with jobs you did for us but there's also some other stuff like reports on you from some people you worked with in the field. I'll send you a copy. Then of course there's Madripoor. That's something you should do on your own."

He crushed the cigar he had been smoking out and drained the last of the second bottle of whiskey. When his hand strayed to the shotgun. Logan wasn't at all surprised. But he had no doubts that whatever Fury said next he wouldn't like it. As if the gun or Fury's goons would do him any good. "As for the rest...we weren't the only organization you worked for. You did things for the CIA, for the Brits, and at least a few jobs for the KGB. There's probably information there that I might be able to lay my hands on. Some of those people owe me a lot of favors. But if I'm going to call those in then your going to have to agree to help me out from time to time. Why don't you think about it. I'm not in any hurry. Plus I didn't come here expecting to play this was your life. There are other things I could tell you, but I need to refresh my memory and make sure I got the facts straight first."

Fury was braced for the explosion he was sure would follow. But instead Logan flashed him a smile. Actually it looked more like an animal baring it's teeth. "Ya know what Fury...I'm getting pretty fucking tired of you. I don't give a shit what you want I ain't helping you screw with other mutants just ta get whatever crap about me you think you know. You don't tell me I'll find it out some other way. Right now I think I've had enough of your bullshit."

"Don't be stupid Logan. It doesn't sound like you found much of anything looking on you own so far. I don't see that changing...unless I help you. I'm not out to screw mutants. If I was believe me Xavier and the rest would never have lasted long enough for you to find them. I like the old bastard...and there aren't too may people I can say that about. But sometimes you run into problems that just can't be solved by inviting them to come live in his little utopia. Right now my hands are tied. My only other choice is to turn those problems over to what ever respective government has jurisdiction. I'd like another option. Here's something else to think about. In addition to the file I can try to arrange a face to face for you with one person who knew you. It might take a few weeks...but I can guarantee that she'll be interested."

Logan stood up and began to prowl about the room. Somebody who knew him from before and more importantly who wasn't Fury. He just didn't trust the man. Sure he hadn't smelled a lie on him but he just hated the idea of having to take what the spy said on trust. Of course that was the whole problem. With his memory that would be true of anyone he talked to. Turning the director of SHIELD he fixed him with a hard stare.

"Don't see how that's any different from talkin to you. Anyone who worked for you is gonna be tellin me exactly what you want em to."

"She never worked for me Logan...in fact most of the time we were competitors. Once in awhile she worked with you when you were working for me. Things were pretty damned complicated back then."

"She? So ya got a name for me Fury? Who did she do business for if it wasn't you?"

"I said she'd be interested. But until she agrees I'm not telling you anything more. I owe her that much."

He wanted this. So bad he could taste it. Every instinct he had was screaming at him to gut the smug asshole and run. But he knew there was no way he could do that now. Deep down he knew that trusting this man was a bad idea. But for now he would just have to play the hand that was dealt to him. Tonight he had filled in a few blanks in the gaping hole that was his past. And despite the fact that he would never admit it to the man Fury was right. His best chance of finding out more was sitting at the table waiting for his reply.

"You arrange a meeting and I'll be there. Just remember this. You try and screw with me or those kids at the school and I'll come lookin for ya. It might take me awhile...but I got all the time in the world. Are we done?"

Fury didn't say a word...just another self satisfied smile and a gesture toward the door. Logan was grateful for one thing. Fury had never once tried to shake his hand.

It was almost five in the morning before he made it back to the mansion. After using the cell to call Xavier he just started riding. He knew damn well there would be no sleep for him that night. He wanted some time to himself. Some time to think about the things he had learned. Fucking World War II. It really shouldn't have been that much of a shock. After all Xavier once told him that there was a good chance he was older then he was. But Logan was good at putting things he didn't want to think about out of his mind and how old he was certainly qualified. He should have asked more questions. Like did he look any older now then he did in France? Maybe the bastard had some more pictures. Shit he thought no use in thinking about this now. He had more urgent things to consider. Like what he was going to tell the others when he got back. The rest of it...well he was used to looking...he'd been doing it for a long time. No matter what he'd discovered this night that wouldn't be changing anytime soon.

He'd been as quiet as he could...and that was pretty damn silent. Even went to the trouble of walking the bike the last two hundred feet up Xavier's annoyingly long drive. He had just closed the garage door and was padding noiselessly down the hall when a voice called out softly from the TV room that he had just passed. It was Summers. Shrugging he ducked his head through the doorway.

Scott was sitting in the beat up old La-Z-Boy while next to him stretched out on the coach and sound asleep was Janet. As quietly as he could he went in and sat down on the chair nearest to Summers. Leaning forward he pitched his voice low.

"Ya know Summers ya didn't have to wait up...I ain't had a curfew for a long time." He waved a hand in Janet's general direction. "How long she been out?"

"Oh about forty minutes. She was worried Logan. So was I. You called almost five hours ago. We thought you be back pretty soon after that. We kicked Rogue out a couple of hours ago. She wasn't happy. Anyway what the hell happened?"

He really didn't want to start on this right now. "You've been sitting here for five hours ...waitin for me? Kid you need to get out more."

Cyclops gave him a strange look. "Actually it was good. Rogue and I...well we had a little disagreement about what she said to Ms. Donald." Scott slowly shook his head. "We were able to hash things out. I think it really helped that Janet was here."

"Shit. You shouldn't get too worked up over that Cyke. It ain't her fault. That my fucking temper that makes her go off like that."

"That's part of it...but don't try and take all the credit. After Rogue left Janet and I had a talk. Well actually she did most of the talking and I just listened. I guess I'm not very popular with your students right now. She seems to think I need to stop treating them like their still in school and start remembering that in a few mouths they'll be X-Men...well maybe junior X-Men. Xavier and I haven't worked that all out. I know what she's saying but...well...they're still are my students. I still have them in classes everyday. I don't know if that's what I should do."

"Why ain't you joined us?"

"What do you...you mean their self-defense class?"

"That ain't what their learning. Why Cyke?"

"Well besides that fact that I don't see what the hell it has to do with what I was just telling you I guess I didn't think you would want me there."

"Why the hell not?"

'Logan...we don't exactly see eye to eye on...well anything."

"So ya don't think what. That I ain't gonna let you help them? That I ain't gonna let you do anything except what I tell ya? I don't treat Janet that way. Why the hell would I do that to you?"

Scott just smirked at Logan. What the hell he thought. "Logan you like her a hell of a lot more then you like me. Ok...ok...relax. No growling. She needs the rest. Seriously though...are you saying that you think there are things I can teach you about hand to hand combat! "

"Ain't nothing you could teach me about fighting Summers. But you know a hell of a lot more then I do about **how** to teach. I'll tell ya I think things are goin ok so far...but I'm mostly flyin by the seat of my pants. You want ta help I wouldn't tell ya no."

The first time Scott had seen Logan fight was Liberty Island. He had not been impressed. Just lunging and growling. The man had no technique. Of course when you had a healing factor and unbreakable bones how tough could beating up drunks be? But after Scott had seen the replay of Logan sword fighting he had spent the next night looking at the recordings of all of his danger room sessions. The man was right. Scott Summers had a healthy ego but he knew damn well that if he ever had to fight Logan it wouldn't be hand to hand. Not if he wanted to live.

"I don't know Logan...we butt heads enough already. Something about you just...well you piss me off. I know we have to find some way of working together...assuming you really are going to stay here. But I'm not sure your... fighting class is the place to start."

"This ain't about us Cyke. The kids are still thinkin of you as their English teacher. Their damn annoying English teacher. They need ta start thinkin of ya as the guy that's gonna lead them inta battle. Sides...I fought your simulation a couple a times...you need the work."

"Ok Logan. Let's give it a try. By the way I noticed you had them scheduled for the Danger Room today. Do you want me to work up some sims for them?"

"Nope. Already had half-pint do some." Slowly a his face relaxed into a smile. "Ya know I think I could use one after all. For her. She shouldn't be knowin what's gonna happen either. Why don't you come down and watch."

Scott Summers was a little amazed. A conversation with Logan. Without the usual baiting that they both...shit. "You sneaky...your supposed to be telling me what happened tonight!"

"Sorry Summers...I didn't get the memo." Slowly he rose to his feet and went over to the coach. Kneeling down he gently slipped his arms under Janet slowly lifting her up. She stirred in his arms turning her face into his chest while he looked at her with an expression that Scott had never really seen on him before. He had just been yanking the man's chain earlier but now...just maybe there was something there. Both men were caught off guard when she spoke.

"This is nice. I should pretend to be asleep more often. I'm sorry but I just couldn't interrupt when you were being so friendly with each other." At their horrified expressions she giggled. "Don't worry your secret is safe. So...how did it go?"

Logan made no move to put her down. "Ok. Learned some things that...well I ain't ready ta talk about yet."

"You mean you aren't sure how much you want to tell us." She was disappointed but not surprised. After all this was Logan. And she had promised herself after he had gone that she wouldn't push.

"Got it in one darlin. You need a ride upstairs?"

God did she ever. But not tonight. They weren't ready for that. At least she wasn't. Looking up she studied his face. That smirk...it really worked for him. A tremor ran through her body and she tried to hide it with a huge yawn. "Jerk. It's your fault I didn't get any sleep tonight. You knew that I'd...that we would want to see you."

"And talk...yea I know. I'm a selfish bastard what can I say. Thought I'd out last ya."

"So...are you going to stand here until breakfast or are you going to take me to bed?"

Ha she thought...that got him. For a second he looked stunned...then his lips curled into a smile that took her breath away.

"Yer good darlin...real good." Nodding to a open mouthed Scott Summer Logan carried her down the hall and up the stairs. Reaching the door to her room he paused. Janet really was tired and that combined with the dim light made it hard for her to read his expression. For a few seconds (it seemed a lot longer to her) he just looked down at the woman in his arms. Bending his head down he gently brushed his lips against hers. Slowly he lowered her until her feet found the floor careful to keep a hold of her until she steadied herself. Leaning in he kissed her forehead and then turned away to walk to his room.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**A/N: Glad to oblige Viperion. Normally I update about every two weeks but I guess I'm on a roll. No problem Dee. Sounds like you are very busy but I hope you're still finding some time to write. I have a lot of the next chapter already written but not much until Christmas is done after that. If you like it let me know. Even if you don't please let me know why. Thanks for reading.**

Logan slept in and missed the morning run. Awaking after four hours bleary eyed and hungry he took a shower and quickly dressed. Just as he finished putting his boots on a thought struck him. Going to his dresser he opened the top drawer. He wasn't quite sure but it looked like two condoms were missing. What he was sure of was that nothing had happened between Rogue and Drake last night. At least in his room. There was no way he would have missed smelling that. He would have to talk to her sometime today. She would want to know what happened last night. Besides there were some things he wanted to speak to her about before her and Drake...well best not to think about that now. As he opened the door to his room he found a note taped to the outside. It was from Rogue.

_Logan,_

_You idiot. Why didn't you wake me up last night? You better not try and sneak out today without telling me what happened. I'll look for you at lunch.  
Be there_. _Hank asked me to let you know that we can't use the Danger Room either today or tomorrow. I'm so disappointed._

_Marie_

_P.S. We didn't use them. Yet._

He didn't know whether to smile or growl. So he went to find McCoy instead.

It wasn't hard at all to track the man down. Everybody at the school knew that at almost any hour of the day (or night) Hank McCoy would be in his lab. He'd even set up a bed down there so he could sleep if he had to stay close to one of his experiments. The only time he could be found outside the lower levels was when he had to eat or teach one of his science classes. Or when Ororo managed to drag him away to spend some time with her. Logan marched right up to the door of his office . He knew the blue mutant's hearing was keen if not quite as sensitive as his own. But the man continued to stare at the papers on his desk for several seconds before he realized he was no longer alone.

"Oh...hello Logan. What brings you down to my liar?"

"This note Rogue left for me. Why the hell can't we use the Danger Room?" Every time he said that he felt a little silly.

"Well my good man I have taken your complaints about the lack of feedback you receive with regards to your senses to heart. You see although my olfactory ability is not as acute as your own I will admit that this aspect of our training has been a source of frustration to me as well. So with the help of friend of mine a device had been designed to actually mimic the input that each person using the Danger Room would naturally receive from their sense of smell.

"So...yer saying stuff will smell right to me?"

"Yes...I believe that is what I have just said."

"Just makin sure. Oh...and thanks Hank."

"You are welcome Logan." As the other man turned to leave Hank remembered where he had been last night. "How did your rendezvous with Colonel Fury go? Did he relay any new information to you about your past?"

"I ain't ready ta talk about it Hank. Not right now."

Logan knew that everyone at the school would be asking the same question. While not exactly upset over what he learned he was...uneasy. He just didn't know how he should feel over the whole idea of having worked as a spy for hire. There was the nature of the information. It wasn't what he had really been after. Even the name that Fury had told him he used...James Howlett...how could he know if it was for real. Then there was his age. If Fury was telling him the truth that would mean he was at least eighty-five years old. Shit. It wasn't so much that knowing made him feel any different. But he knew when the others found out they would look on him differently. How could they not? Now Logan had never much worried what people thought of him until he came here. But if he was honest with himself he would have to admit it mattered to him now. Then there was Janet.

If anyone would understand his need for coming to terms with what he had learned it would be her. But she would have her own need to know...about last night. And frankly he wasn't too damn sure what to tell her. She certainly made him feel...something. Right now he just wasn't sure he knew that the hell it was. He needed to figure this out before he could talk to her again.

Suddenly he knew what he had to do. He had to sort this out...decide if he could bring himself to tell them what he had learned...and how much. And he couldn't do that while everyone was asking him about it. He had to get away. Just go some place where he could be alone. Logan was so wrapped up in his thoughts that Hank had to repeat himself twice before he heard him.

"Sorry Hank...just thinkin. What do ya want?"

"Well..I was going to ask a favor of you. However it seems to me with so much on your mind now is not the best time."

"Ask away McCoy. Unless it has somethin ta do with more of yer damn tests."

"Nothing so unpleasant as that. As you know I have ask Charles to reinstate me as an active X-Man. While my mutation assures that I will always be in top physical condition it has been several years since I felt the need to engage in mock combat with another. I would very much like to go a few rounds as they say with you."

"So ya want ta spar?" Hank nodded. Logan could only think of one problem. "Talked ta Ro a while back bout you bein an X-Man again. She wasn't thrilled. I ain't gonna get a bolt of lightning shoved up my ass if do this, am I?"

Hank frowned sadness showing plainly on his face. "No Logan...you need have no fear of that. She is resigned to my decision."

"Ok then. So ya want ta go full contact?"

"Yes...I believe that would give me the most benefit."

"Good. Make sure ya have padded gloves and boots." The huge man looked confused so Logan rapped his forehead with the knuckles of his right hand. "Gotta hard head Hank. Make sure ya got a padded helmet too. I'm gonna be gone a couple a days so just look me up after I get back."

He made a quick trip back to his room to pack a few things. He toyed with the idea of pulling Marie out of class to tell her but decided if he did that she'd give him hell. Better to face the music when he got back. Xavier took it better then he expected.

"I understand your need for a little time to sort this out. So long as that is all that you intend."

"I told ya Chuck...just a few days. I ain't plannin ta run off on ya."

"I believe you. However I also find the habits of a lifetime are often difficult to break. Have you told anyone?"

"Just Hank. I was kinda hopin you'd do that. Especially Marie."

Xavier sighed shooting Logan a look of exasperation. "Very well. I believe the correct saying is you own me one Logan. Two days...and take this." Xavier handed him what looked to be a cell phone.

"Don't know if there's gonna be a signal where I'm goin Chuck."

"That will not be a problem with this. Where are you going if I may ask?"

"Catskills. Shouldn't be too crowded this time a year and I ain't gonna use the trails anyway. Oh Chuck...ya wouldn't happen ta have Janet's cell phone number would ya?"

Wordlessly Xavier wrote the number down on a piece of paper. Logan took it with a nod and sauntered out. Only then did the Professor allow himself a smile.

It was almost midnight before Janet shuffled into her room and all but collapsed into bed. She was just too tired to be mad at him right now. Really Logan taking off shouldn't have surprised her in the least. But her expectations had been thrown off a little by his behavior when he had come back from his meeting. She had to work very hard to stifle the anger and disappointment that she felt when Xavier informed her over lunch that Logan would be gone a few days. Her first thought had been that what had happened last night just didn't have the same meaning for him. Xavier must have seen that her reaction was not a happy one.

"You know that for Logan this is progress. The fact that he will only be gone a short while and that he was insistent that everyone receive that assurance is something he would not have done in the past. I believe that we have become important to him in ways that I frankly would not have thought possible."

Her first thought was that he as only doing that for Marie. That just made her feel guilty for resenting the girl. Then she just felt angry for both of them. And for the fact that Logan had left the difficult task of informing Rogue to someone else.

"I know your right Charles...but that doesn't make me feel any better about things. I guess I was hoping that I...that we had built up a certain degree of trust with him. Now I'm not so sure if that wasn't just wishful thinking on my part."

"No...I do not believe that to be the case Janet. As I told him before he left one does not just shrug of the habits of a lifetime. Trust is just one of the many things Logan is learning about. The man has no real experience in long term relationships of any kind. I am not excusing what he did today mind you...but I do understand why he felt he had to do it."

She just didn't have the heart to talk about it with him so instead she went to find Rogue. Janet was taken aback when the girl just nodded after Xavier delivered the news a few minutes later in his office. After they walked out Janet asked about her reaction.

"That's Logan. Ah was kinda hoping he would tell us right away...but Ah wasn't gonna hold my breath waitin."

The experience of having both Logan and Magneto inside her head made her very good at reading other people. What she read on Janet's face startled her. Damn it she thought...she might have expected this kind of behavior but it was clearly something of a disappointment to her friend. Rogue had told Jubilee repeatedly there was nothing going on between her and Logan, but she was beginning to wonder herself. The woman seemed more...upset then she would have expected.

"So Rogue...your not...angry at him for what he's done?" Janet was impressed...and a little embarrassed that Rogue was apparently taking this better then she was.

"Ah'm mad at him...but it isn't anything Ah wasn't expecting. Ah'll tell what is surprising...him even coming back last night. Janet Ah know Logan pretty well. Ah'm sure he heard some good stuff last night...but he's the kind that wouldn't pay much attention ta that. But any bad things...he'll be turning them over and over inside that hard head a his. Ya see he pays so much attention ta the bad that the good passes him right by. This is just his way of dealin."

Laying in her bed Janet pondered what Rogue had told her. She knew well that the man was ever ready to believe the worst about himself. It was frustrating to her how good he was at seeing other people clearly while being so blind when it came to himself. Although considering what he had been through she knew feelings of failure or even self-loathing were more often then not the natural reaction. If people treated you in a horrible manner, it must have been because you had done something to warrant it. Anna Harper still struggled with the feeling that somehow she must have deserved what happened to her. God she thought...could it be that simple. Not that Logan had ever given voice to...her thought were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

Irritation was quickly replaced by concern as she wondered if something had gone wrong at the shelter. Groping for the device she was surprised to see UNKNOWN as the number that was on the display. Not now she thought and answered the call.

"Hello...this is Janet."

"Hey darlin...did I wake ya?"

"Logan? What are you doing?"

"Calling ya. Sorry it's so late. Took me an hour ta figure out how ta use the damn thing."

She stifled a laugh remembering she was supposed to be angry at him. "Logan...it's after midnight. If you wanted to talk why didn't you find me when I was awake and you were here?

"So I'm guessin yer kinda mad at me?"

No use rolling her eyes since he couldn't see. "Now why would I be mad at you? Just because you leave without a word to anyone but Charles as to were you're going or even why. You know Logan I thought you were getting past this crap of thinking you have to deal with everything on your own."

Silence. Had he hung up? "Yea...look this ain't got anything ta do with you kid. This is all on me. Just needed ta get away from everyone so I could figure out what ta do."

"What are you saying...that you can't think here? You know I'm pretty sure you've managed it at least a few times since I've known you."

"Just needed ta get my head straight. When ever I really needed ta think things out and especially when I needed ta...relax...I'd always head out inta the wilderness. Bein in a place with no people any where near...no sounds or smells that they make...just feels right for me. When I first...woke up and a for a lot of years after it was...hard for me ta be near people. My instincts would always be screamin at me ta run ...hide...or ta kill. Spent a lot of time livin in the Canadian Rockies or Alaska. Yellowstone kinda worked to...especially in winter."

"Just were did you go Logan?" She was a little worried.

"Relax darlin. Drove up ta the Catskills. I'm camped out on...Slide Mountain. Really ain't much of a mountain. More of a glorified hill. Ain't exactly the wilderness but right now it's quiet."

She took a few deep breaths and tried to let go of the anger she felt. "All right...thanks for telling me that. I guess I can understand that you need to get away and have some time to think about what you learned. I just wish that you would have..."

"Told ya first." He did sound calm...and just a little different than she was accustomed to. "I know this don't make up for it...and I really do regret not tellin ya. Can't really say why I had ta get away...I just did."

"I think you do know why Logan. It's because you don't trust us. Now considering what happened to you that isn't too surprising to me. But your going to have to make up your mind about us Logan. Your going to have to trust that nothing you could tell us about your past could turn the people here against you. Whatever you did before...whatever you learned about yourself...I know what kind of man you are now. I believe in you Logan...nothing you can tell me will change that."

"I'm tryin to get that darlin I really am. Yer all gonna have ta be a little patient with me on this. I'll see ya tomorrow...by lunch."

"I should warn you...your on Rogue's shit list. In fact no one around here is very happy with your disappearing act."

"No surprise there. Don't worry...I'll deal with it." There was a long pause. "Are we good darlin?"

"If you can stop running away from me we'll be fine Logan."

"I think I can do that. See ya soon darlin."

He stretched out on the ground. Above the stars shone, turning slowly overhead as he lay still taking in the sounds and smells of the forest that surrounded him. It wasn't the same has his beloved Northern Rockies but being alone in the woods on this cold clear night calmed him in ways that he could never find when he lived among others. With something like wonder he chewed over what Janet had said. She believed it...he didn't need his senses to know that. The question was could he. He decided that if they could handle what he was going to tell them tomorrow then they could probably accept anything about him that he could find. And if they could handle it then so could he.

He slept for five blissful dreamless hours and then spent a few more indulging himself with one of his favorite camping pastimes...chasing deer. Trying to keep one in sight after it began to run forced him to move as fast and as recklessly as he could. Not that he could ever catch one like this. Even with his superior endurance they were just too fast for him to simply run down. When he wanted to hunt he used other methods but chasing them satisfied some primal urge that he couldn't explain and didn't really want to understand. It just felt good.

After washing off in a nearby stream he changed clothes and packed up. It was nearly noon when he pulled into a gas station a couple of miles from the school. While he filled up he called Janet and asked her to meet him by the mansions front gate. He had decided on the way down that he wanted to tell her first and he didn't think he could do that at Xavier's. Ten minutes later he was watching her from the bike as she walked up the front drive carrying a helmet and wearing a black leather jacket. Her long brown hair that she normally wore in a pony tail was lose and flying free in the wind. His first impression of her had been that she was good looking but not a knock out. Right now though...the way she was smiling at him...she looked pretty damn good.

They stopped at a diner four miles down the road. Logan took it easy on the way over not sure how used she was to being on a bike. The waitress wanted to seat them near the door but Logan insisted on a booth by the back. After they ordered their meals they sat back regarding each other until Janet broke the silence.

"Xavier told me you'd be gone at least two days. How come you're back early?"

Shit. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. "Well darlin...decided I didn't need all that much time ta figure out what I had ta do. Sides it's Friday. The damn park was gonna be full a people by the end of the day anyhow."

"I guess I'm just not clear about something Logan. Well actually several things. Why are we here...I mean besides the food?"

"Got some things I need ta say ta you. Some of it's about what I learned the other night. Some of it's about...well things we kinda agreed not ta talk about."

She tried very hard not to overreact. "You mean...about your dreams?"

"Did a lot of thinkin about what ya said last night. Thought about what Fury told me...and about what you said to me when I first told ya about how I got the claws. Darlin I gotta apologize for tellin you a lie. I just couldn't...it was just easier for me ta go on pretending that what had happened ta me was just dreams. But I know that ain't the truth.. I did the same damn thing when I first dreamed of how they cut me open."

Janet swallowed the lump in her throat. "Do you still get them...the dreams?"

"Not as often...and nothing new...but yea I still do. It's just a feelin kid...but I don't think I'm done with em yet."

"God Logan...have you talked to Xavier? You know there might be something he could do."

"Don't think he really could do much darlin. Except maybe make me forget. Ya know I did consider it...but I just can't. I spent a lot of years tryin ta figure out what happened ta me. Plus letting people fuck with my memories isn't somethin I want to do again."

"You let them...oh Logan that's not what happened and you know it."

"And how the hell am I supposed to know when I can't remember? Darlin I don't have any idea what the hell happened and neither do you. Turns out that Stryker knew about me for a long time before he decided ta fuck me over. Now ya gotta figure he wouldn't pick just anyone ta turn into a killin machine. He had ta be pretty damn sure that I'd be willing ta cooperate ta spend the kinda time and cash that he did."

"Damn it Logan where is this coming from? I read every page of that notebook and unless you made it all up I didn't come across one word that would make me think you were anything but an innocent victim."

When he answered is voice was low and harsh. "I told you once already Phillips I ain't a good guy. Guess you don't listen..."

"You're the one who needs to listen damn you. Why do you think they tortured you Logan? Do you actually think you volunteered for that? Don't you understand? They were trying to get you to do what they wanted and you wouldn't. That is the only logical reason for them to treat you like they did."

When she said it that way he had to admit that what he was thinking seemed pretty damn stupid. Still it was almost harder for him to swallow the idea that he had been a victim that Stryker had caught unawares or even duped into some kind of sick trap. She could see the turmoil written on his face so she forged on.

"Let me tell you how it works Logan. You're sure that you must have done something to warrant the kind of treatment you received. Things like this just don't happen to good people. Either you screwed up and got caught or you made some kind of bargain with William Stryker. The bottom line is that you just **know **that when you finally do learn the truth of what happened it will show that you were to blame for what they did to you."

"Ya seem pretty damn sure about what I'm feelin there darlin."

Encouraged by the fact that he didn't deny it she went on. 'That's because I've seen this before. What happened to you is unique. Your mutation allowed those monsters to do things to you that no other human being could survive. But your reaction to it, what it did to you isn't all that different then what I saw when I worked at the shelter. I've always thought that our minds have a hard time dealing with the fact that people will hurt us for no good reason. It's easier to think of it as somehow our fault rather then try and accept with the idea that someone actually enjoyed hurting us."

At this point their meal arrived and for the next few minutes they ate in silence as Logan chewed over what she had told him. What she said did make a lot of sense. And it really wasn't anything new to him. In his mind her knew that he was no more to blame for what happened to him then Anna was for the things those fuckers did to her. Still...the mind didn't always rule the heart. He wondered how long it would before they both agreed. He was pretty sure it would be quite a while, but for him that wasn't a problem. The one thing he apparently had more then enough of was time.

After their meal they rode the bike to a park several miles further down the rode. Wordlessly they walked down a stone path the ended overlooking a small waterfall. She knew he was working himself up to tell her what he'd learned from Fury and she was fearful of how long it was taking him her imagination conjuring up possibilities of the things he was unwilling to say. In the end when he told her it was both more mundane and more incredible then she would have thought.

Janet wasn't really all that surprised that Logan had done things for various intelligence agencies. Even she could appreciate how useful his gifts would be in that line of work. The fact that he had claws back then was surprising but she thought that on the whole she had heard nothing that he would have reason to regret. Considering his reluctance to talk about this that confused her.

"Logan...I don't understand. I know you were hoping for more personal information then this man apparently had.. I'm sorry you didn't find it but this hardly seems like something you would have a hard time telling us about. Unless...there's more?"

His smile seemed more like a grimace to her. "Yea there is...one of the things we talked about was how we got ta know each other...during the war"

Ok she thought here it is. Something he did...or at least something this Fury had told him he did had to be the source of the anxiety that was showing plainly on his face. She had some first hand knowledge of what war could do to a man because her uncle had served in Vietnam. He was haunted to this day by the things he had seen and done. Now someone else she cared for seemed to have been scared by the same...a question popped into her head and before she could think she asked it.

"Logan...which war?" Janet was really quite proud of how calm her voice had sounded.

He told the tale in a low quiet voice that she had to strain to hear over the muted sounds of the waterfall. In the ten minutes he talked he never once looked her in the face. She had expected Vietnam, had feared it might be Korea...but this. When he was done talking he finally looked at her and she realized that whatever she said would probably be the most important words he ever heard from her.

"You told me not two nights ago that you didn't care how old you were. So were you lying to me Logan? You had to know that this was a possibility...did you think that after our talk the other night that I wouldn't? I don't give a damn how old you are, because your still the same man you were before you found out that you were a soldier in World War II. That's all I really care about. I'm not afraid of your age Logan. What scares me is that this obsession you have with finding out about who you were will change who you are. That sooner or later you'll find or remember things that will destroy someone I love."

He didn't say a word. Just looked at her with an intensity that was...unnerving. Slowly he pulled her to himself his arms gently wrapping around her shoulders as she tucked her head under his chin. They stood that way in silence for several minutes as she enjoyed the feel of his body pressed up against hers as they held each other close. She looked up and he was focused on something beyond her, something only he could see in his mind's eye. She wanted to ask him about that, but there was something she wanted to do even more and for that she needed his cooperation.

Her right hand left his waist to curl around the back of his head and when she gently pulled his eyes locked on hers. Flashing a sly smile he shifted slightly and the next thing she knew he was kissing her. His lips were warm and firm and when she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss she both heard and felt the rumbling growl from the back of his throat. Janet felt like she was on fire as he awakened in her a hunger that she hadn't allowed herself to experience for a long time. When they finally broke it off she was thrilled beyond words to see the yearning and lust she felt reflected in his eyes as well.

His hand came up as he softly traced his fingers along her jaw and down her throat smiling a little smugly at the shudder this induced. "Relax darlin. I ain't in a hurry. Not with you. Gonna take this thing we got nice and slow."

Janet felt both reassured of his intent to treat her with respect and a little disappointed. Right now going slow was the last thing on her mind. Then again the very fact that he was admitting to having feelings for her was a big step for him and she knew it. Just so long as they were talking about the same thing.

"You know Logan...I really like that you kissed me and I think I understand why you're not in any hurry but I'm also a huge fan of clarification. Just what do you think we have?"

"Guess I'm not real damn sure." He could see in her eyes that was not the answer she was hoping for. "Just let me finish darlin. I said that cause I'm feelin things for ya I ain't ever felt for anyone before. One thing I do know is that I don't have the slightest clue how somethin like this works. I been with a lot of women darlin but I never really cared about any of them as people. It ain't somethin I'm proud of but there it is. Can't do anything about the past but I want things ta be different with you. Gonna make damn sure that you know that." Leaning in he kissed her with a tenderness that surprised her. "Clear enough?"

"Yes...very. You know your much better at this communication thing then I thought. Even if your not very good at actually saying it."

He don't say anything as she took his hand but instead walked with her back to the bike. As he started to get on she grabbed his arm and stopped him. "There's something I need to tell you. I know you don't like this particular effect of your gift but I'm glad you have it."

"Why's that darlin?"

"Because if it weren't for your mutation I would never have had the chance to meet you. And we would never have had the chance to love each other. It isn't a curse Logan, it's a blessing."

He stared at her for a long time and then nodded. She climbed on after him and if she held onto him a little tighter on the way back he certainly wasn't going to complain.

As they roared up the driveway toward the garage Logan silently cursed. Standing just inside the door oily rag in hand was Scott Summers. Not the person he wanted to see at the moment. From the look on his face the boy scout was not a happy camper. Not that Logan cared. He smiled as a way to make the man even more unhappy came to his mind. Braking to a stop just outside the garage he waited for Janet to get off and then walked the bike inside. Scott followed him fuming.

"Damn it Logan you just can't run off when ever you feel like it. Whether you know it or not there are people here who count on you. Now I'm not surprised that you'd take off without a word to the rest of us but you really hurt Rogue."

Shit...he was right. And not many things irritated him more then Summers being right. "Just get off my back Summers I ain't talkin ta you about this right now. Where is she?"

"Down by the lake. She's been moping around all day. Go talk to her."

"Tell Chuck I'd like ta talk ta everyone in his office after dinner. If Marie don't kill me that is."

Turning to Janet he looked at her and tilted his head slightly in Scott's direction. When he saw the corners of her mouth turning upward and the mischievous glint in her eye that was all the invitation he needed to draw her to him and kiss her throughly. Turning to Summers he just grinned and shook his head as the man stared open mouthed at the both of them.

"See ya around Scooter." He strolled down the path while listening to Janet's laughter. Life was good.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real life in the form of the Christmas season cut into my writing time. I also had to start this over after writing almost half of it. On the positive side I should be back to updating every two to three weeks. I had also decided to follow the example of two writers I really admire and turn this story into a multi-volume affair. Part one here has about five more chapters to run. Thank you Viperion and fanfiction fanatic for your comments. I'm glad you like it.** **Not for a while XinnLajgin. Be patient. Glad you liked the romance Dee. Writing something like that was a new experience for me. We can't have Logan getting too happy can we Rhia? It just wouldn't be right. Sorry about the overload in Cpt 18 and in this update you'll see a little bit of how Logan deals with knowing. Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think. Happy New Year to all.  
**

Scott Summers was no stranger to the unusual. This was after all Xavier's. The epicenter for the unexpected, the strange, even the down right weird. As the person responsible for screening potential students he had heard and seen it all. It wasn't even that most of the kids could really do anything that ordinary people could not. What marked the majority of them as "freaks" was not some incredible power or ability but rather their appearance. Even so over the years Scott had come to believe that nothing he heard (or saw) could surprise him. He really should have known better. After all this was Logan.

"Good God Logan...World War II? I mean how can you even know this man is telling you the truth and not something he thinks you want to hear?"

"Why the fuck would I want to hear that Summers? Sides I could tell if he was lyin to me. Trouble is him believin it don't mean too much. Just cause he thinks it's true don't mean it ever happened. Plus I kinda got the feelin he wasn't tellin me everything...just don't know why that would be."

So for the next thirty minutes while Logan quietly fumed Xavier and the others tossed opinions back and forth as to Fury's trustworthiness as well as methods that could be used to verify the information the Logan had received. He knew they were only trying to help, but it was difficult to listen to what they were saying and stay calm. It wasn't supposed to be like this. For years he had dreamed of the day he would finally be able to put to rest the questions concerning who he had been. And of course though he wouldn't admit to it this dream had always assumed that those answers would all come to him tied up in a nice neat package. What a fucking joke! As soon as the meeting was over he fled the mansion. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to offer him congratulations...or even worse their sympathy. So he wandered the woods surrounding the school and found what peace he could. When he returned it was after midnight and he was glad that no one had waited on him. Sleep was a long time coming.

_His chest was on fire. He felt as though a red hot piece of steel was lodged there. And yet...it wasn't a physical pain. He was something of an expert on that. This was different. Something he couldn't put a name to. It was an agony more terrible then any he had endured at the hand of Stryker. It was a horror deep inside of him more overpowering then he had felt the first time he saw the blades sticking out of his hands and knew that he was a monster. He had no idea how or why he felt these things but he could feel that the answer was right there. All he had to do was open his eyes. It was the hardest thing he had ever done. At first he saw only darkness. A total absence of light. He seemed to be floating aimlessly without any way to tell where he was or what direction he was going. Until he saw a faint glow. Suddenly he just knew that was where he needed to be. That was where **she **was. Without any effort on his part he was moving, closing in on that one source of...everything. And even as he approached he could see the light was fading and the darkness was seeming to close in on him once more...overwhelming in it's intensity. And then he was there...at the source. And he could tell that it was **her **and that **she **was dying. The pain rolled off **her **in waves. There were no features, no face to remember. Just a soft feminine shape. And a voice._ _**She **was calling to him. Begging him. In a voice rough with torment._

"_Please my love...you must do this...for me."_

_Somehow he knew what **she** wanted. And even though_ _every fiber of his being screamed out to stop, to run, to do anything but what **she** was asking of him_ _he could only watch in horrified fascination as his arm moved, seemingly of it's own volition until his hand was over **her** heart._ _The instant he popped his claws the light went out. Once more he was enveloped in total darkness. And just as suddenly the agony was gone. And he felt and saw nothing. And he knew that the darkness had a source. It was him. There was nothing for him without **her. **Nothing to feel at all. Nothing to fill the void within him. Nothing to do but scream._

He came to himself with the echos of the scream still ringing in his ear. He was kneeling naked in his bedroom with the claws of his right hand embedded in the wooden floor boards. That was wrong. It shouldn't be wood but flesh. Wrenching them free he examined them looking for the blood that wasn't there. His door flew open and Scott stood in the doorway. Cyclops took in the sight before him. The wooden floor with three evenly spaced holes. The naked sweating man with the metal blades of his right hand fully extended. When he looked at Logans face he saw the tears and he couldn't help but gasp. What the hell was he supposed to do with a crying Wolverine. Feeling someone nudge his shoulder he stepped to one side and before he could grab her Janet swept past him into the room.

She stood just inside the door. Though he was looking right at them he gave no sign of recognition. Janet felt her face flush as she took in his naked form. He was...just perfect. But this wasn't the time or place for what she was thinking. Keeping her eyes fixed on his face she called out to him her voice a soft whisper.

"Logan...can you hear me? Logan please...put the claws away."

She wanted to go to him...comfort him...hold him. But she couldn't bring herself to do it while those things were out. Twice more she spoke before he gave any sign of coming out of that place where his mind was. He blinked. Twice. Slowly he rose standing before them seemingly still unaware of the fact that they were even there. Instead his attention was riveted to the blades which he held before him. For he had realized that there was something different about him in the dream. Something he would never have know before his talk with Fury a few days ago. Something that even now he couldn't quite get his head around. The claws he had used to kill **her **had been gleaming white...they had been made of bone.

"I don't know what the hell it means Chuck. And ta be honest I'm not too damn sure I want ta find out. Are we done with this bullshit? Cause there's not much I enjoy more then sittin here and yakkin with ya about my dreams."

It had taken an hour of quiet coaxing from Janet to get Logan into the Professor's office. While Xavier was not fond of the man's belligerence he considered it a change for the better from the dazed and distracted state Logan had been in when he arrived twenty minutes ago. Charles was certain Logan was holding something back and he was determined to find out what it was.

"Logan if you want me to help you, your going to have to trust me. If what you saw was merely a woman you do not know dying then I have to wonder why such a dream would effect you so profoundly. If there is more that you do not wish to share at this time that is of course your prerogative. However there also may be aspects of your dream that for whatever reason you cannot recall. I may be able to assist you if such is the case."

"Stay the fuck outta my head Chuck. I've said all I got ta say about this." He was almost out the door when he stopped. Turning he looked at Xavier. Sometimes the man's calm demeanor could be infuriating. But right now Logan was thankful for it. "Chuck...I ain't got no call to be mad at ya. But I just can't...I need ta deal with this in my own way...at least for now. Before I can talk about what...whatever it was I gotta understand it."

"As I said Logan whatever you wish to reveal is up to you. While it pains me to see what these dreams are doing to you as long as it does not effect the other people who live here I will not intrude. Logan..all I want is to help you any way I can."

"I know Chuck...I know."

Leaving Xavier's office he was relieved that no one was waiting for him. After his little performance this morning he had figured she would want some answers. For that matter so did he. It would have been so easy to dismiss what he had experienced as nothing more then a bad dream. Except that he didn't have bad dreams...at least as most people understood them. For years visions of men cutting him open and pouring metal into his living flesh had tormented him. Lately it had been the tortures that Stryker had inflicted after he had been altered. And now this. It had the same feel as the others...of something that he had lived through. Then there were the claws...made of bone...just like Fury had told him. And of course the pain. The anguish he had felt...the bone deep sorrow and despair. He didn't think that was something his mind could make up on it's own. To be able to know what that was like he was sure you had to experience it. Whoever that woman had been he was certain that she was someone he had know, someone who had been important to him. Maybe even someone he had loved. But whatever the story between them he sure as hell knew the ending. He had never felt so empty...so wretched...and then so disconnected. That last state of mind...he just didn't care...didn't feel...nothing seemed to matter to him at all. It had taken him nearly an hour after waking to even begin to shake it off. After all he had pretty much lived most of the last eighteen years before he came to this place in exactly that state of mind. It was an easy habit to fall back into. And that as much as anything else made him determined to find out the whole story behind what he had experienced last night.

Janet was in her tiny office reading her mail when the door opened. Looking up she was surprised and a little disappointed to see Scott standing there. Not that she was upset with him. Rather he wasn't the man who she really wanted to be talking to. It had been a couple of hours since she had left Logan with the Professor and she had to admit that she was worried. His behavior this morning reminded her very much of someone in a state of shock. For nearly ten minutes after she and Scott had entered his room he didn't say a thing. In fact he seemed barely aware of their presence and totally oblivious to the fact that he was naked (she certainly noticed). After a while he did wander into the bath to take a shower ( with his claws still out) and got dressed (claws finally retracted) but his only response to their attempts to engage him in conversation had been monosyllabic grunts. By the time she convinced him to go with her to talk to Xavier he did seem to be responding more like the Logan she was used to ("why the hell would I want ta see Chuck?") but still...what had happened? Based on what she knew concerning his dreams she was sure that his behavior had been the result of some kind of memory surfacing while he slept. And until she knew what that memory was there was nothing she could do. Somehow she doubted this was information that Scott Summers possessed.

"Scott...what can I do for you?"

"Just wondering if you'd seen Logan. I need to talk to him about the Danger Room session he wants to have with the Junior team tonight."

"No Scott I haven't...seen him that is. Did you ask Charles? That's where I left him after...well that's the last time I saw him."

Scott walked into her office shutting the door behind him. Somehow they had managed to wedge a small coach into the cramped space and he flopped down on it. Janet wondered if she would see dark circles around his eyes if she could see through the red lenses. She felt a pang of guilt. Preoccupied as she had been with Logan and Anna she had not really considered the difficulties Scott was having in dealing with Jean's death. Even though he gave no outward sign that he was having any problems she knew that it wasn't something that he had gotten past. How do you move on after the death of someone you loved? From personal experience she knew just how hard that could be.

"I already checked with the Professor. Logan left him a couple of hours ago. Janet...what the hell is going on? Charles won't tell me anything and...well I think I should know. I mean...he was crying damn it! And the way he reacted to us...like we weren't even there."

"What makes you think I know what's going on? Scott you really should talk to Logan if your worried about this. Xavier isn't the one you should be asking...and I'm not going to say anything that he couldn't tell you himself."

"Come on Janet do you think what we saw this morning is ok? Look I know you'll probably find this hard to believe considering how we go at it sometimes but I'm worried about him. I know he trusts you so I have to believe you're more aware about what's going on inside his head then I am. I may not be an expert on this but even I know the man needs help."

"Please forgive me Scott if I find your sudden concern over Logan's well being just a little hard to swallow. Do you think he was born with that metal in him? You've known what happened to him since you saw those scans Jean took. So what are you telling me? If evidence of gross mistreatment wasn't enough to warrant your concern why should what you saw today be cause for your sympathy?"

"I guess I was just a little preoccupied with some stranger coming on to the woman I loved. So no...I really didn't give a shit what had happened to Logan back then. I was too busy being pissed off at him for trying to steal away Jean. I'm sure you wouldn't have let that bother you if you'd been in my place so I wouldn't try to explain it to you."

He started to get up but Janet grabbed his hand. "Sit down. We aren't finished. At least I'm not. Logan trusts me...and I'm not going to betray that trust. But you're right. I wasn't there and I don't really know anything about what happened between the three of you. Scott I'm not accusing you of anything and if that's what you thought I'm sorry. I'm just stating facts. Everyone knows that Logan has metal claws and metal bonded to his skeleton and yet they don't seem to think about how that came about. Everyone knows that he heals from physical damage and so they choose to believe that what happened had no effect on him. And of course Logan's own demeanor just reinforces their belief."

"Yea...I can see what your saying. Logan just seems so...well tough. Nothing seems to bother him. And like I said...I was too busy being a selfish asshole to worry about anything else. You know what hurts the most? It wasn't...not what Logan did. You know I really can't blame him for trying to...for finding Jean attractive. Hell I did the same thing when she was dating Warren. What keeps me up at night is the fact that I doubted her. I spent the last few weeks of our relationship not trusting her. And I really can't blame Logan for that can I?"

"No you can't...and I really don't think blaming yourself is fair to you. How could you know what was going to happen? Do you think that's what Jean would want? To see you tearing yourself up over this? Grief is a hard enough thing to deal with...don't add guilt on top of it. The only way you can make it up to her is to live your life the way she would want you to." He didn't say anything. Just nodded. Mentally she cursed wondering at how men could be so stupid. Then he looked at her and she could see that his mask, the one he wore as the leader of the X-Men; was firmly in place.

"Janet...I don't want details. Like you said Logan trusts you. But I need to know how much of a problem this is. Logan isn't exactly the poster boy for stability. And from I saw this morning he's in worse shape then I thought. Tell me what you can."

"What happened...it's not the first time. Scott, do you know he has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Well one of the symptoms is repressed memories of traumatic events. This has nothing to do with the fact that he has no memories of his past before Stryker. I think. Logan is in every way a unique case so I'm not entirely sure myself. But I do know that Charles agrees with me on this. We think something happened to him at Alkali Lake that caused his memories to resurface. Along with recovering some skills he learned before he was altered he has also started to remember the things Stryker did to him."

"Your telling me that he's had...episodes like we saw before? And that what I saw wasn't really a dream...it was him remembering some of the things those bastards did to him?"

"I don't really know Scott. I've never really seen...he told me how it usually goes and that wasn't how he was acting this time. The effect on him was different. He usually comes out of it ready to fight...and violently sick. Given the horrific experiences he's reliving it really is a normal reaction. I can't give you details but...God...after what they did it's a miracle theat he's still sane."

Cyclops cradled his head elbows on knees. When he spoke she had to strain to hear. "Shit. What kind of fucking world do we live in? Janet from what you've told me I have to wonder if it's safe for him to be training those kids. What the hell is Xavier thinking?"

"The same thing I am. You know he'd do anything to keep them safe Scott. Both Charles and I feel that working with the students has helped Logan begin to trust. It's made him commit...and that's something he hasn't done in a long time. If you take this away from him he wouldn't have any reason to stay."

"He needs professional help Janet. The kind that you're no longer in a position to give. And I don't think Charles is the answer either." She looked at him confusion written on her face. "I'm sure that Charles really wants to help him. But he also really wants Logan to be available in case things get ugly around here. That's his number one priority right now. We need to get someone who's only concern is helping Logan."

"Scott...what are you saying? Do you really think that Charles would..." But of course she knew the answer to that already. Charles Xavier one of those rare individuals who could focus on what he considered his mission in life to the exclusion of everything else. Thank God his mission, his dream; was to protect those young mutants who had been given into his care. While helping Logan was no doubt important to him it was definitely a lower priority then the protection of his dream.

"Of course he would. He hasn't said anything to me but you can be damn sure Charles knows what's happening with Logan. If he hasn't taken a hand in trying to get him through this it's because he wants Logan to be able to do what he's best at if the school is attacked again. Until he knows that the we're safe the Professor is going to want him available, and not trying to overcome something that could sideline him. Dealing with the things that were done to him could make Logan less...dangerous. That's not what the Professor wants. You need to find someone who can put his needs first...and I really don't think that Charles fits the bill."

She could see it now. Charles had done such a good job in training his X-Men that he wasn't sure how they would react if things got ugly. There were certain lines they would find difficult to cross. Logan on the other hand would do what was necessary. In effect Xavier wanted him available if the worst happened. Janet wondered where exactly she fit in to all this. She thought back to their first conversation about coming to the school. How much she was needed. To his seemingly off handed remark that it wasn't just the students that she would be helping. It was his suggestion that assisting Logan with the training would be the ideal way to introduce herself to the school's student leaders. And finally to the conversation that Charles and her had after Anna and Luke were rescued. How he had encouraged her to try and win Logan's trust. And how he thought that her lack of involvement with the team would make that easier. Had he planned this all along? Had he ever really looked on her as anything but another tool to keep Logan close to his school...and to keep him ready in case he were needed? She also knew that this was mere speculation on her part which no doubt Xavier would deny. She looked over at Scott. They were in this together now. Scott was worried about Logan...but he was also worried for him. They would have to keep an eye on him together and she would have to find a way to get Logan some kind of help. Fortunately she already had someone in mind.

Janet was surprised when Logan walked in just as the scheduled afternoon training session was about to begin. His half smile at seeing her quickly turned into a scowl when he noticed Scott standing off to the side. She got the feeling that Logan knew exactly why he was here. But since he had invited the man to start coming what could he say? Logan gave him a glare and them...smiled. Turning he addressed the students who were sitting along the far wall.

"We got a new addition to our group. And I'm sure yer all gonna be real happy that Scott showed up today, cause that means ya got one more person ta throw ya around." He just smirked at their groans and turned to Scott. "Were all on a first name basis around here...not that ya mind I'm sure." The look on Scott's face said loud and clear that yes he did mind but knew he couldn't really do anything about it.

The first hour went pretty much as planned. First they stretched then Logan had Janet lead them all though some of the simpler forms of the Tai Chi routine they had been teaching them. Scott stood back and observed for a while and then copied the moves accurately if not quite gracefully. Then it was on to kicks and punches which the students performed while Janet and Logan observed and offered correction as needed. Scott was surprised at the quiet manner that Logan had with the students. The biting sarcasm that was often a major part of their interaction was not in evidence here. Although at one point he did let Jubilee have it because of the girls tendency to show off by doing more then was being asked of her. He was equally surprised by her reaction. She apologized and then actually did what he told her to do. Needless to say it was not how she responded when he tried to correct her behavior.

The second hour of training consisted of pair exercises. First they went over past drills, such as how to block and counter various attacks. Once again Scott was taken aback both at the skill exhibited as well as the manner in which things went. Logan and Janet took turns calling out each drill. Then that person would pair off while the other one would circulate offering advise and correction where it was needed. Scott took this as a cue and stepped in occasionally to offer instruction as well. Most of the time however it was the students who called each other on sloppy or poorly done technique. After every drill they would switch partners and the next exercise would start. These were all basic fighting moves such as blocking a particular kind of kick or punch as well as the execution of or defense against specific combination attacks. Every exercise was very tightly controlled with the students calling fouls if any contact was made beyond what was appropriate. The muttered complaints that accompanied these fouls confused Scott until it was explained to him that for every one they had to run once around the quarter-mile track. After eight drills Logan stepped out and motioned for Scott to take his place.

Cyclops was pleased to have the opportunity to observe each student first hand. Bobby reminded him of...well...himself. Every move was precise and done just the way it should be. But very tightly controlled. Jubilee on the other hand was just a little wild. She obviously liked the aggression that went with fighting. Scott wondered not for the first time about what she had gone through before Ororo had found her living on the streets of L.A. Both Kitty and Rogue were very good on the defensive but for different reasons found striking out to be hard. Scott was sure in Rogue's case it had everything to do with the curse of her mutation. Marie needed to be very careful about how she touched. With Kitty he really wasn't sure. He knew her background and thought the sheltered nature of her childhood was probably the reason. Peter was a pleasant surprise. Scott remembered his clumsy manner from the self defense class he'd been teaching last year. At the time Scott had seriously doubted that the Russian would ever be X-Man material despite the awesome nature of his mutation. While he still struggled with the kicks his hand and footwork had greatly improved. Scott's last partner was Janet. He had assumed she would have to be good to last this long assisting Logan but he wasn't expecting this. He knew that hand to hand combat wasn't really his strongest skill but after five minutes with her he realized just how much work he had to do. He had understood after his encounter with Deathstryke that he had grown too depended on what he had always thought was an unbeatable mutation. That would have to change.

Finally Logan called a halt and the students sat in a semi-circle. "Ya all did pretty good today...though Jubes is gonna have some runnin ta do. Watch the fouls next time kid."

Jubilee scowled...she hated running. "I thought we were learning to hit people Wolvie...not dance around. I can go to a club for that."

"First ya gotta learn how not ta hit them. And besides ya don't go smackin yer teammates when ya don't have ta. That's just sloppy. Now were gonna learn somethin new today. Scott here is gonna demonstrate how ta get out of a choke hold. And since yer so ready ta whack people you can help him Jubes."

Scott cleared his throat. "Actually I think Peter would work better for what I want to show them Logan. I'd rather be the one demonstrating how to escape the hold."

Scott had Peter stand behind him. "OK...your right forearm across my throat. Ah...not so tight Pete...I need to talk...that's better. Alright...there are several ways to deal with this. The first thing you need to do when you find yourself in a position like this is to tense your neck muscles. If you can't breath your not going to be able to function. Use your right hand to reach up and grasp the thumb of his right hand while using your left to hold onto his other arm. This keeps him from interfering with what your tying to do. Even if he's stronger you only need a few seconds. Grab the thumb and rotate your right hand clockwise while pulling his arm away from your throat. If you need a distraction you can smash the back of your head against his nose...unless your as short as Jubilee. In that case bring the heel of your right foot down hard on the instep of his right foot. Once you have his arm to this position move your right leg out and pull him across your hip. Ready Pete? Ok lets do this at half speed." Two seconds later Peter was flat on his back. After helping the Russian up Scott noticed that the other students looked...disappointed.

Jubilee eyed him suspiciously. Why was he holding out on them? "Dude that first part was ok...now what about the rest of it?"

"I'm not sure what you mean...the rest of what?"

Now she was giving him a look of barely concealed disgust. She knew that look well since she had been on the receiving end from him on numerous occasions. "Come on Mr. Summers...er Scott. You can't be finished yet. If you were doin that move for real he'd still be conscious. Why didn't ya finish him off dude?"

Now Scott was getting a little irritated. He didn't know which he liked less; Jubilee calling him by his first name or being referred to as "dude." But he could see that others nodding in silent agreement. What the hell was Logan teaching them? Before he could respond Janet spoke up.

"I'm sure Scott was demonstrating how he would deal with a single opponent. In a situation like that after you've gained the advantage you usually don't need to take additional steps. Right Scott?"

Scott however was not ready to take the way out that she was offering. "No...I'm sure that what I just showed you would be appropriate against most situations we face. And I'd sure like to know what the hell you mean by finishing off someone you've already rendered helpless. That's not what we're about."

It was Logan's turn to get irritated. He had been silently observing the exchange and when he heard Scott's last statement he had to clamp down hard on his anger. Well he thought the man deserved to get taken down a peg...but not by him. "So any one want ta comment on what _Mr. _Summers just said?"

Jubilee was more then ready but Logan quelled her with a glare. Looking at Rogue he nodded. She grimaced and turned to Scott. "If Ah was alone against just one person Ah'd probably go with what ya just showed us. But we all know that on missions we're not gonna be goin up against just one person. That means we can't waste time dealin with people we fight and we gotta be free ta watch our partner's back. So if Ah was gonna use what you just showed us in a fight Ah'd add a palm strike ta break his nose and then I'd kick him in the head. That should take care of him till the fights done."

Before Scott could respond Kitty chimed in. "And stomping on his foot...I don't know about that. If you really want to distract someone you should just grab him by the balls...right Logan?"

Jubilee snickered. "Kit Kat always wants to go for the balls. You don't want to mess around groping some jerks groin babe. Besides I'll bet those FOH assholes must have pretty small dicks. It would take too long to find what ain't there. Best to stick with the stomping."

Scott felt a little queasy regreting that he'd negleted to wear a cup. He could understand the tactical thinking that went behind what Rogue had said. You just didn't have time to waste tying someone up in the middle of a fight. Still it was depressing. Why did he feel like what they were doing here wasn't good. Scott wondered what right they had to train these kids to fight in this manner, or even asking them to be a part of a life that promised them nothing but danger. When he spoke he was looking right at Logan.

"I just want to make sure that you guys know that there's a line we don't cross. Sure the people we fight don't recognize limits but that doesn't mean we have to act the same way. It's important for us to understanding that we're fighting for something, that whether we like it or not we are the face of mutants to the rest of the world and that a lot of people will judge our kind based on what we do."

It was left to Bobby to give voice to what the rest of the students were thinking. "None of us wants to hurt anyone. We'd all be happy if the world just left us alone. And I've already told Logan how uncomfortable some of this makes me. But I really don't see what choice we have but to fight. And while I might not do certain things if it was just me we were talking about there's no way I'm not going to do what ever it takes to protect anybody in this room. I used to think that it wouldn't come to this...that they would just have to see how stupid it was to be afraid of us. But I don't see how it's possible to think that way after what happened with Stryker. I don't think that makes me like the creeps who want to hurt us for no reason but if it does then I don't care."

Logan decided they'd all said enough. "Hit the showers kids...were done for today." Turning to look at Scott he shrugged his shoulders. "Go ahead and say what ya gotta say Cyke."

"Logan...actually I'm kind of surprised. You know that we don't agree on a lot but they're further along then I thought...at least in regards to fighting skills. But it takes more then that to be an X-Man."

"So what does it take Cyke? Do we have ta all sign up ta your view of how things should go? It's bad enough that we all wear the same damn uniforms. Now your sayin we gotta think and act like you do before you consider us in. Cause I got news for ya kid. It ain't happenen...not in this lifetime."

"Cut the crap Logan. Hell you've already got them thinking and doing what you want. But I'm going to make it my business that they know that you're not the only one they need to listen to. And they are going to listen. Once they join the team you won't have any say about how they fight."

"So you think that's how things are? That they just do what ever the hell I tell em to? Jesus Summers you're so full of shit. You think that was me talkin when Rogue told you what she'd do? Think again bub."

"Of course that was you. What...you're telling me Rogue thought those moves up on her own? I saw how you trained them. They were doing exactly what you told them to. Now you might think it's appropriate to teach a bunch of kids to fight just as ruthlessly as you do but I say it's wrong. And I'm going to make sure they know it."

Scott was ready for any of a number of reactions to what he said. Just not laughter. "You're so fucking wrong Cyke. Ya know in case ya hadn't noticed I'm not the only teacher those _kids _have. I told ya once that Janet has as much say in what they learn as I do. More in fact because when it comes to teachin newbies how it fight she's been doin it a hell of a lot longer then I have. She's good at teachin and I'd be a damn fool not to listen ta what she has ta say. And it just so happens that she's onboard with havin em fight like this cause she wants ta make sure they survive. But that's not even the biggest fucking mistake you're making."

"And I'm sure you going to enlighten me on that score, aren't you Logan."

"Don't know why I should fucking bother. First time I showed em how to deal with an attacker I told they should finish their moves with a punch to the throat. And before ya start whining about it yea that could be a killing blow. These kids are gonna be fighting assholes who are just aching ta kill em. But ya know what Cyke. Most of em objected anyway. They didn't like the idea of putting someone down for good if they didn't have ta. Neither did Janet. I told em they were thinkin stupid and if they didn't listen ta me then we were done. But the more I thought about it the more I wondered if that was the right way ta go. Not the killin part. I still don't like the idea of letting any of the fuckers we're gonna be fightin walk away. You're just askin for trouble. But the next time we trained I sat em down and asked how they would like to handle it. Took us two and a half hours of yakkin but we came up with what Rogue told ya. Knock em out as fast and as hard as ya can without killin em."

"Sorry Logan but that's not the way things work around here. We have an obligation to teach them...not to ask their opinion. They need to learn that there's a right way to do things. Now I have to admit what you say they came up with is certainly an improvement on what you wanted to teach but you really can't expect me to leave these kind of things to students who really don't know what the hell they're doing. That's why we're training them Logan."

"Cyke...there's a right way ta fly the Blackbird. There sure is hell is a right way ta make love ta a woman. But there ain't **one** right way ta fight. Nobody I know fights like me. Hell no one I know can. So I'd be pretty damn stupid to try and make those kids do that wouldn't I? And if you try the same thing so would you. For one thing I don't think you really know how to fight. Why the hell do ya think Chuck want's me doing this? Then their's the fact that if ya try and make em fight like ya want they won't listen ta ya."

"If they want to be X-Men they'll have to."

"Ya know Summers that's getting pretty old. Do ya want em to follow ya Cyke? Then yer gonna have ta lead...and not just tell em what ta do. There's a difference ya know. They need you ta show em the way...not boss em around. Start listening to em...treat em like they're your team mates instead of your students. If ya can do that I know they'll follow ya...and so will I. Think about it."

Logan turned on his heel and stalked out of the gym. Standing right by the door in a position to hear the entire conversation was Janet. He grinned at her as she fell into step beside him.

"Didn't take you for a nosey type darlin. So what do ya think? Is their any hope for Scooter at all?"

She smiled back and he felt his chest tighten a little. "I think so Logan. I thought you handled that well. You know if I didn't know better...I'd almost believe that you like Scott. Or maybe you dislike him a little less then you used to."

He just shook his head. "Not really a matter of liking him or not." He frowned and turned to look back down the hall. "He's gonna be the leader those kids have ta follow. I just wish the hell he'd start listenin more and talkin less."

"You know Logan I think one problem is that both of you react too defensively to what the other one says. You're both more alike then either of you want to admit."

Logan's look of disdain told her exactly what he thought of that observation. "Ya don't have ta insult me darlin. I ain't anything like that boy scout."

"Whatever you say Logan. Thanks by the way...for what you said about me to Scott."

"Ain't nothin but the truth darlin. You've made what I'm doin with those kids a hell of a lot easier. When I'm showin em stuff with you there I know there's at least one person in the room who knows what the hell they're doin. Gotta admit that Chuck was pretty damn smart to suggest you helpin me."

If you only knew she thought. Then again with Logan you never did know. They reached the elevator and he push the button opening the door. She waited for it to slide shut before she turned to him forcing her voice to remain calm. But he of course could smell her anxiety and knew right away what she was going to ask.

"Are you alright Logan? Was Charles able to do anything for you?" She already thought she knew the answer to that.

"He offered...I said no." He could see by her reaction she hadn't expected that. "Look darlin...it ain't that I don't trust Chuck. But I just don't like the idea of him pokin around my noggin."

"It's all right Logan. That's your decision...you don't have to tell Charles...and you don't have to say anything to me either."

"Ya I do. I'd rather you know then be thinkin something about me that ain't true." Then he gave her a lazy smile and she could feel her heart thump inside her chest. "Sides ain't ya supposed ta want ta know everything about me that ya can?"

"I guess you're right. I would like to know what happened...or at least what you experienced to cause that reaction. And I'm happy to learn just as much about you as you'll let me."

"I want ta hear what you think. This thing has me pretty damn confused. But I ain't ready to talk about it...at least not here and not now. What are ya doing tomorrow?"

"I was going to drop in on the shelter I used to work at and visit my friend Nat. Why don't you come with me? I like her to meet you."

"She know anything about me? That I'm a mutant?" When she shook her head he had to clamp down hard on the urge to tell her to keep it that way. For her part Janet could see the conflict working on him.

"She doesn't need to know that Logan. I won't tell her if you're not ok with it."

"Your call darlin. If ya trust her that's good enough for me."

He knew by her relaxed reaction that he had said the right thing. "Nat's kind of my...well I guess you could call her my mentor. She was my instructor when I went to grad school and she hooked me up with the shelter after I got my Masters. I think you'll like her. She has an...interesting way with people."

"Ya know I ain't exactly a people person darlin. So what's this friend of yours do? She workin at this shelter too?"

"No...she does volunteer work there. She's a psychiatrist who specializes in helping people who have experienced traumatic events."

He looked at her his expression suddenly closed. "So why would you be wantin me to meet this doctor darlin? I mean besides that fact that she's a buddy of yours?"

Well Janet thought...here goes nothing. "I think you need to talk to someone about what's happened to you Logan. Nat has had a lot of experience..."

"Sorry darlin...I ain't interested. Sides I'm talkin ta you ain't I? What the do I need ta see someone else for?"

"Logan you don't have to do anything. What ever you decide about this I'll respect. It's just...well I'm kind of emotionally involved here. It would be unethical for me to act as a therapist or counselor when I'm in a relationship with you. You need someone who can give you an unbiased evaluation and recommend a course of treatment with only your best interests as a guide. I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What about Chuck? I know he's done this sort of thing. Why the hell do I need ta talk ta someone I don't even know?"

"She's not a telepath Logan. If you ask Charles to get involved he's going want

to be inside your mind. I don't think that would be a pleasant experience for either one of you. Talking with Nat would give you a much greater degree of control."

They had left the elevator and were walking down the hallway which was empty as it was the dinner hour. They stopped a few feet from the door which lead into the dining room. Logan looked down at her as if he was trying to see inside of her...trying to read her soul. She shivered at the intensity of his gaze.

"I'll meet her darlin. But I ain't gonna make any promises. I know ya want ta help me kid and I appreciate that ya care. But I don't think what ya have in mind is gonna do me much good. I gotta get down ta the Danger Room and help Hank get it ready for the kids. I'll talk ta you after we're done with the session." Reaching out he gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and walked back down the hallway to the elevator.

Janet frowned wondering if she would be seeing him at all later tonight. She knew perfectly well that Hank didn't need anyone's help to prep the Danger Room. Running though their conversation in her head she didn't see any way she could have handled it differently. A small voice suggested that telling Logan what Nat did wasn't the greatest way to get him to cooperate. But she shrugged that aside. Deception just wasn't an option for her. Not with him. If she tried to trick Logan into seeing her friend it would only drive him away when he found out. And she just wasn't willing to take that chance.

Janet was in the computer lab responding to some e-mail when she heard the elevator door open and the sound of Rogue's angry voice.

"...he'll be fine Bobby. Ah still don't see way ya had to yell at Jubes. She felt real bad about it without you stickin your nose in."

"She's too cocky. If it has been anyone else they'd be in real bad shape...or worse. I know she's your friend Rogue but she's got to be more careful if she want's to be..."

"Who died and made you Scott? You're damn right she's mah friend but this has got nuthin ta do with that. If Logan wasn't mad at her what right do you have to be?"

At this point Janet's curiosity got the better of her and she called out to her friend. A moment later Marie and Bobby stepped into the room. Both were dressed in sweats hair damp from the showers. Rogue looked a little nervous.

"What happened Marie? Did someone get hurt during the session? Where's Logan?"

"Jubes had a little accident during one of the last drills. She was paired with Logan and she kinda got a little excited and ...well she just sorta...

"...blew Logan up." Bobby finished for her which earned hin a hard kick to the shin. "Shit...you didn't have to do that you know."

"Ah ain't gonna tell ya again Bobby. Just stop talkin will ya. It ain't that bad Janet. She let loose with a plasma blast and it...it was a lot bigger then she wanted it ta be. Kinda caught everyone by surprise. They're both down in the infirmary right now."

Thanking Rogue she shut down the computer and made her way down to see what had happened. As she approached the infirmary she heard something that stopped her just outside the open door. The sound of someone crying.

"Come on kid...will ya stop with the tears already. I told ya I ain't mad at ya. It was an accident and I ain't blamin ya..."

But Wolvie...I hurt you. I'm really... sorry. I just wanted to throw a few paffs to...to cover you so you could make your move. I just don't know what happened...but it wasn't what I wanted ta do. Oh shit...are you sure your going to be all right? Oh my God your back..." Whatever the girl had seen caused her to cry even harder. Janet started to step into the room but the tone of Logan's voice stopped her in her tracks. The only other time she'd heard him speak in such a gentle manner was when he was talkin to Rogue.

"I told ya I'm ok darlin. Ya don't need ta be cryin over me. You know it's gonna be alright. Come on now...I hate seein a woman cry."

The sound of sobbing was muffled as Logan hugged the girl. He was surprised at how fiercely she clutched at his neck. Logan had a pretty good idea that this wasn't the brightest thing he had ever done. But he always had been a sucker for a bawling woman. Besides he liked the kid. She was the most determined fighter in the group. She liked being the aggressor and several times he'd had to talk to her about the fact the sparing was practice with your team mates and not an excuse to lash out. The problem was she also liked him...and not just as a teacher or even a friend. Logan was well aware of her feelings and had been careful to avoid being alone with her or to give her any sign of interest. And now all that was out the window because he hated seeing a woman cry. Gently he pulled away from her and steered her over to a chair. She plopped down and looked at him through bleary eyes.

"Now you listen ta me kid. What happened ain't your fault. You were watchin my back just like ya were told to. Ya didn't know that was gonna happen so only an idiot would blame ya for it. But that don't mean we're gonna ignore this. I'm gonna have ta work you hard. Make sure you got control of those powers of yours. Cause if we don't and somethin like this happens again the both of us are gonna be ta blame."

Janet decided that was her cue. She walked in and had to clamp down hard so she didn't over react. Logan was...a mess. There was still evidence of the burns he had sustained on his back and a substantial potion of hair on the back of his head was singed. The uniform he wore was torn and scorched. She could tell by his hunched posture that he was still in a lot of pain. Not that you could have known by just listening to him. Then again she thought bitterly pain was something he was used to feeling. Jubilee's gaze fell on her and for a moment there was a look of pure fury in her eyes. Then her face fell and for a moment Janet thought she would start to cry again. Instead she turned away from her to look at Logan.

"I'll do whatever you say Wolvie. Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

"It ain't gonna be a problem kid. Why don't you go see Rogue before she starts gettin worried about ya. I'll talk ta McCoy about gettin us some Danger Room time so you can practice blowin things up."

With one last look at Logan she walked past Janet and quickly fled the room. He shook his head and flashed her something that was between a smile and a grimace. Walking over to the counter he grabbed a tray that had what looked like a scalpel, some cotton swabs, and a bottle of alcohol.

"Would ya mind cutting me outta this damn uniform darlin? Tried to use the zipper but it looks like the kids blast must have melted it or somethin."

Did he know that seeing him use his claws still upset her? Or was it that he just didn't want to deal with any more pain at the moment? Wordlessly she took up the instrument and deftly sliced down the side of his uniform. With a audible hiss he peeled off the ruined leather top cursing as pieces of it stuck to his skin. Then he stood hunched over Hanks desk as Janet used tweezers and the alcohol to slowly work the bits of leather off his skin. As she worked on him he explained to her what had happened.

"Hank and I were running em through a scenario. Just tryin to get em used to the flamin Danger Room. Had em go in two at a time so they could practice workin together in teams. All they had ta do was sneak inside a house and rescue one stinkin mutant. Problem was they kept screwin up. Damn kids would talk too loud or they'd forget to watch each others back and the guards would surprise em."

"Logan...how did you wind up with Jubilee if this was an exercise for the students?"

"Like I said...shit darlin leave me some skin will ya? Like I was sayin they kept screwin around...I was gettin fed up with em...especially Jubes. She thought the whole thing was a joke. So I called em up ta the observation booth and told em if they couldn't do this right I'd just have ta show em how."

"_...and since you think you can fuck around and not pay attention you're gonna be my partner darlin."_

_Jubilee swallowed hard. "Come on Wolvie...lighten up will ya. I'm just having a little fun. Besides this is so lame...we don't even get ta fight."_

"_So ya wanna fight do ya? Ok then...you're gonna be the point. I'm just gonna be along for the ride. You get ta deal with any opposition that comes up. That means ya get to protect both of us. And Jubes...if ya screw up this time I'm gonna make ya run laps till ya puke."_

_Shit she thought...if there's anything she hated worse then running it was barfing. She was so screwed._

_Everything had gone smoothly so far. Jubes had even picked the lock herself. They had soundlessly negotiated a flight stairs and were standing by a door. Jubilee listened for almost a minute before she turned the handle and slowly crept down the hallway. If Logan remembered correctly the room with the "prisoner" was at the other end. Half way down was a door on the left. He followed about ten feet behind. Pausing at the door she listened for a few seconds before giving him the all clear hand sign and moving on. Logan was even with the door when he heard movement behind it. He just continued on. This was her job not his. Jubilee was five feet from the door at the end of the hallway when she heard something. Turning she saw a guard emerging from the door behind Logan. Even as she brought her hands up she saw him drop to the floor giving her a clear target_. _She fired off what she thought would be a half dozen tiny balls of plasma...more then enough to take down any normal opponent. She had just enough time to see the sphere of energy the size of her head when it made contact with the holographic guard and exploded._

"I was on the ground face down so it only burned my back. Packed one hell of a punch though. I think I was out of it for a couple of minutes. Lucky for us Hank installed the sprinkler system a couple of weeks ago other wise I woulda been toast. Damn...if there's anything I hate more then gettin blown up it's burns. They hurt like hell and take longer then anything else to heal. How's my back lookin baby?"

She'd never let any of her other boyfriends to call her that. So why was she thrilled when Logan did? "Almost normal now. You know we were really lucky Logan. If anyone else had been doing this with Jubilee we might have had a tragedy. As it is she was fortunate that she could walk away from that kind of explosion."

"Asked Hank about that. Kid's immune to her own powers...just like Cyke. Course the shockwave still threw her against the door but Hank told me when I woke up the she was ok. But yer right about us being lucky. Damn it I can't figure how the hell this coulda happened."

"From what I understand younger mutants sometimes struggle to control their powers. Do you know how long she's had them?"

"About four years I think." He frowned and walked over to the closet. Pulling out a sweatshirt he slipped the garment over his head. Janet was disappointed. His chest was incredible.

" Look at Rogue. She's had her power for a couple of years and she's no where near being able to control it. Sit down Logan. I'm going to trim away some of this hair that was singed."

He made a face but did as she asked. She found some scissors and started cutting. "Ain't the same thing darlin. Rogue's mutation is like mine...it's always on. I heal whether I want to or not. Ain't no way ta turn it off."

"Dear God...are you saying...oh Logan you know how much Marie wants control over her skin. Are you saying that's impossible?"

"I don't know. But I do know that Chuck is bein straight with her and not holdin out much hope. Jubes doesn't have that kinda problem. She did have some accidents when she manifested...just like Drake did. But that wasn't what happened today. She had no idea that she could even do that. When I asked her why the kid told me that for most of the time she's been here they were encouraged **not **ta use their mutant powers too much. Whatever little things she learned ta do were on her own."

"I don't understand. I can't believe Charles wouldn't want them comfortable with using their mutant gifts. Isn't that why he started the school in the first place?"

"Chuck wants the kids ta control what they do darlin...that's not the same thing as learnin all the things ya can do with yer powers. Think about it...what the hell would this place be like if ya had kids using what they got whenever they felt like it. Shit the school woulda been blow ta hell a long time ago. Now I'm pretty sure that Scott has been workin with Drake on the side for a while now. Probably picked out the kid as an X-Man in trainin from the moment he got here. But he didn't want any part of Jubes cause she don't listen ta what he has ta say."

"There...all done. You know Logan you'd be even better looking if you bothered to get your hair cut once in a while."

He looked up at her and smiled. "So ya think I'm good lookin do ya?"

"You know you are...you arrogant ass."

"But **you **think I am. That's good ta know darlin."

"Just shut up will you. See if I pay you any more compliments. What you said does make sense except for one thing. If Charles intended them to be X-Men why wouldn't he prepare them properly?"

"Don't think Chuck really thought he'd need more X-Men when he started the school. Probably left it up ta Cyke to pick out a few kids he thought could make the grade. After all the last thing Chuck wanted was for people ta think he was trainin an army of super mutants. Then Stryker came along and fucked everything up. Now we got no choice. And no matter what we do ta train em in our class they wouldn't be ready until they know how ta use their powers. Well I'm gonna make damn sure they're ready."

"I heard what you said to Jubilee. Do you really think it's a good idea for you to help her learn to use her powers?"

"Don't see why it wouldn't be. Sure as hell would be better then Cyke for her seein as how they can't stand being around each other."

"Well then maybe you should have Ororo teach her. I think they get along pretty well from what I've seen."

He had to work very hard not to smirk at her. "Don't see any good reason ta leave it ta Ro darlin."

"You really don't get it do you? You want a reason? Ok...try this one on for size. That girl happens to think she's in love with you. Now do you get why this isn't a good idea?" Janet was kind of surprised that what she said came out sounding so...well snarky.

"Darlin if I didn't know better I'd say ya sounded...jealous."

"Try exasperated. Or amazed. At just how dense most men can be about these things." She really wasn't jealous. Really.

"Darlin I ain't most men. Now I know ya might think that we're mostly a clueless bunch and mostly I'd agree with ya. But it just so happens that I got an advantage that most men don't. I've had a pretty good idea that Jubes was interested in me for a while."

"If you knew that then why would you..."

"Because that's what she needs darlin. I think you're makin this more complicated then it is. From what my sniffer tells me she ain't in love with me. I'm pretty sure she just wants ta fuck me."

"And that's supposed to make me fell better about this how?"

"Don't really know how ta do that darlin. Just lettin ya know how things are." He got out of the chair he had been sitting in to walk over to her. "Let me tell ya something darlin. I happen ta know that Jubes went through some pretty bad shit before she came here. Got her ta tell me some of it when I caught her tryin ta run from here. Told her that I'd make sure she knew how ta take care of herself and I think that showin her how ta use what she's got is part of that. Now I know I ain't done nothin to earn it but yer gonna have ta trust me when I tell ya nothin else is gonna happen."

She shrugged and gave him a small smile. " I do trust you Logan. And I know that you wouldn't do anything like that with Jubilee. But I wish you had said something before about this. I"ll tell you what I don't like. How you can ask me to trust you and then turn around and say you can't talk to me about things. It's a two way street Logan. Doyou know how it makes me feel when you tell me that you can't talk to me about something?"

"Darlin it ain't that I don't trust ya. It's...well I'm not sure what. Sometimes I just don't know how ta say the things I want ta. I told ya before that I'm flyin blind when it comes ta dealin with you. It goes against the way I've lived for a long time ta wanna be with ya...much less tell ya what's goin on inside my head. That's why we need ta take thing slow darlin. This is kinda hard for me ta get used ta."

Something inside her warmed at how uncertain he sounded. So much different then the arrogant attitude that he wore like armor. "Ok so I get that you're not good at talking about some things. That not too surprising considering you're a man. But that doesn't mean that I'm not expecting some effort in that department. After all how are you going to improve if you don't practice? But right now I'd rather do something that you're good at. While you may be lousy at talking to me about what's going on inside that hard head of yours I happen to know at least one thing that you do very well." Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him down until their lips met.

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**Later that night at a farm house four miles from Xavier's school.**

"So you are all clear on what to do?" Mystique's yellow eyes searched each face until she found what she was looking for. She'd had her doubts when Eric had told her what he wanted. It had taken her weeks of observation and planning to craft a scheme that she thought would work. And then at the last second she had to accommodate another addition.

The door to the cellar swung open and the hulking shape of Victor Creed seemed to fill the room. Mystique could not help but notice the signs of fear that Pyro and Shepard exhibited in Sabretooths presence. Blink on the other hand seemed fascinated. Fear could often be a very useful thing but right now she was worried that it would make them hesitate. Then there was Victor. If it actually came to a fight she would be glad to have him. But a fight was the last thing she wanted. Get in and out with their objective just as fast as you can. Bitterly she recalled the off handed way that Eric had dismissed her objections. It was important to reintegrate the newly returned mutant into their operations. While she understood his reasoning Mystique could not help but doubt how useful Sabretooth would be to her.

The four of them had drilled for days to prepare for this. Success depended on precise timing and now she had to suddenly deal with someone who didn't know the plan and refused to follow anyone but Eric's orders. And of course **he** wasn't here. While the four of them had done a final walk through Creed had been down in the cellar entertaining himself with their prisoners. At least the muffled screaming that had gone on for the last hour had finally stopped.

"Victor...if you're quite finished with your fun would you mind if we went over what..."

"I already heard your fuckin plan twice. Don't see no need ta listen ta ya again."

"Yes I'm sure it has been burned into your memory. Especially the part about you making sure that you are not observed before the rest of us arrive. If Wolverine should detect your presence..."

"Then I'll just have to kill the little fucker. I guess that about covers it"

Mystique had to fight the urge to grind her teeth. "Need I remind you again that your part in this is to simply avoid detection and make sure that when Blink ports the rest of us in there is no one in the vicinity. If any action of yours should alert him before we are in position then I shall feel free to abort the mission. And I assure you that Eric will be told exactly why our plan failed."

That got to him she thought, satisfied to see fear on his face...for once. Reaching into the duffel bag under the table she pulled out what looked like a sawed off shotgun with a much wider then normal barrel. Creed took one look and sneered.

"That little pop gun won't stop him. Hell I wouldn't even feel it."

Mystique almost sighed. Surely Logan would know the difference between a mere shotgun and what she held in her hands. This was **her **backup. Shepard had already more then proved her ability to render him helpless. And without the distractions she had provided over the past week Mystique had no doubt that Xavier's pets would have been on a higher state of alert. Still one should always take proper precautions. One of those was the call she had made earlier that night using the voice of Senator Ross demanding the Xavier appear tomorrow before his Select Committee on Mutant Affairs. The other was to bring enough firepower to make sure that they could subdue their target quickly in the event that Shepard failed. She was determined to bring back the Wolverine even if she believed that Eric had sent her on a fool's errand. Pyro may have convinced him of the fact that Logan hated Cyclops and thought that Xavier was an idealistic old fool and the boy might even be right. That didn't mean that the man would be willing to throw in with them. But of course Eric only heard what he wanted. It was too bad...because she was certain that Logan would be far better to work with the Creed. Then again with the proper inducements they might be able to convince him. In any event in just a few hours Xavier would be short one X-Man. Of that she was certain.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**A/n: Sorry this took so long to get out. Thanks to all of you who are reading it and especially to those who have been kind enough to review. And a big thank you to Rhia and Dee for their help. My next update will be something of an experiment. And it should be a lot faster coming then this one. And Viperion, talk about perfect timing**

Damn it she thought, when would morning come? It wasn't that this was anything new. Jubilee had more then her share of restless nights, when she would get so wrapped up in thinking about her past that she just couldn't make herself sleep. But tonight her thoughts kept drifting back to what had happened in the Danger Room. About the fact that suddenly she didn't know how to control her powers. Not to mention what could have happened if the person on the receiving end of her accident had been anyone else but Logan. And afterward. God, she thought; she was so pathetic. First crying, something she had sworn never to do again. And mooning over the fact that Logan had actually hugged her. What a joke! But the thing that really made her mad was the expression on Phillips face when the woman had walked into the infirmary. Marie had told Jubilee over and over that the two of them were just friends. And that, she knew, was total bullshit.

Turning her head she looked at the alarm clock. The yellow numbers read three-twenty. Groaning she rolled over propped herself up on her elbow, to stare at her roommate. A small smile crept across her face at the sight of Rogue, covers kicked way, huddled into a tight ball. Every night it was the same. The southern girl would pile on the blankets, and by morning they would be on the floor. Scooting out of bed she gathered them up covering her friend. Maire never complained about her mutation, and here she was feeling sorry for herself. Thinking about what her friend had to deal with every day, Jubilee realized how petty her current problems were. At least that's what she kept reminding herself, as she spent the rest of the night running the events of yesterday through her head.

"Damn it, Lee. I told you to lay off the junk food. Stop dogging it or I'll make ya run the course again."

Jubilee cursed under her breath. She was so far behind there was no way he should be able to hear her, but with Logan you never knew for sure. It was a warm spring morning that had sweat poring off her. Currently they were running her least favorite part of Logan's little obstacle course.

This leg featured a long run up a steep hill laid out in a series of switch backs. To complete the experience, he had commandeered their labor one long afternoon to shovel gravel all along the path. Every time she turned to keep to the trail she had to fight to keep from falling. Of course Logan had no such problem since he ran barefoot. God that had to hurt, she thought. He was one fine looking man, but sometimes she wondered about Wolvie. Reaching the top, Jubilee knew that with only a little over two miles left, she's have go all out to catch anyone. But with her legs feeling like lead she slowed to a jog. So what if she was dead last? Doing this on no sleep was beyond stupid. If Logan didn't like it Jubilee decided, he could go to hell.

Sure enough, Logan didn't like it at all. At least that's the impression she got by the look on his face. Then again she mused, it usually was some variation of pissed off. Right about now she didn't care. If Jubilee had been just a little more observant, she would have taken warning from the worried expressions that Janet, Rogue and Scott wore as they stood a little ways off from an angry Wolverine.

Arms crossed over his chest Logan glared as she slowed and sauntered past heading back to the mansion. "Where the hell do ya think yer going?"

"Dude, I'm gonna take a shower. Ya might want ta think of catching one yourself, cause right now you're a little ripe. Why don't you join me Wolvie? That way ya can teach me how to wash myself."

"Lee, get yer smart ass back here now."

"Fuck off Logan. I'm done with you till training this afternoon."

In a flash he was in front her. She flinched back frightened for a second by the look on his face. When he spoke his tone was so low she could barely make out the words.

"Yer done when I say you are. You think this is some kinda fuckin game kid? You think ya can work when ya feel like it and screw around the rest of the time? People around here been goin easy on ya. Feeling sorry for ya, letting you get away with shit cause you had it rough before ya came her. I've been makin the same mistake, but I ain't gonna make it no more. No more games Jubes. You want ta do this then you better start workin yer ass off. You got more ability then anyone. Start using it or stop wastin my time."

Logan stalked back to where the others were standing. Looking at Janet he nodded and they both set out to run the course again. Scott toyed with the idea of joining them, but decided he didn't have the time. With Xavier and Ororo headed for Washington he had extra classes to teach. He turned to Rogue and could see she was upset over what had just happened. Catching her eye, he motioned with his head in Jubilee's direction and then retreated to the mansion to grab a shower. Jubilee was just standing there, eyes following Logan as he ran with Janet down the trail and disappeared into the woods.

Great thought Rogue. Leave me to pick up the pieces. Tentatively she approached her friend, a little worried at Jubilee standing like a statue just staring off into space. "Jubes? Talk ta me girl. Come on now...you're freakin me out." She reached out and laid a gloved hand on her shoulder. Shaking her head as if waking from a dream Jubilee shrugged it off.

"Who does that shithead think he is? So I'm wasting his precious time? I'm gonna fry his hairy Canadian ass!" Pulling her sweat shirt over her head Jubilee took off running as fast as she could down the same path Logan and Janet had taken, leaving a stunned Marie in her wake.

For a second she pondered following, then turned and headed inside. No way she was going to get in the middle of this little fight. After all, she thought, Logan will heal.

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They were several miles into their run when Janet broke the silence. "Did you have to be so...blunt with her? She's a teenager Logan. You shouldn't be surprised when she acts like one. I think you forget how young our students are sometimes."

"Most teenagers ain't trainin ta fight nut job mutants and racist assholes darlin. When her head is into it Jubes is the best one outta all of em and you know it. Problem is so does she. Kid only works hard when she feels like it. Like I said, everyone's been givin her a pass cause they feel bad for her. That's gonna stop."

"And I suppose you can't tell me anything about what did happened to her?"

"Nope...ya need ta talk to her about it. What I can tell ya is that considerin the things she's gone through she's doin pretty good. Least ways that's what Marie tells me. Darlin yer gonna have ta be patient with her. Right now yer not on her list of favorite people."

"And who's fault is that?"

"Don't blame me darlin. Can't help it if Jubes ain't got sense enough ta know she could do a lot better. I'm just damn glad you don't either."

Passing the half way mark they continued to talk as they ran through the forest. Sixty seconds later two figures suddenly appeared. Blink nodded to her companion, closed her eyes and was gone. St. John Allerdyce, also know as Pyro, was there for two reasons. Mystique's orders were to stop anyone else who came down the trail. That was the part easy. It was the other assignment that had him worried. Stop or at least delay Logan if for some reason he came back this way. Not that he really thought there was much chance of that. No way would that maniac ever run from a fight he decided. . Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the Zippo and casually flicked it open.

They were approaching the hill, with it's many switch backs, when Logan abruptly stopped. To Janet's consternation he had a sneezing fit and then began to rub his eyes furiously. Then she smelled it and her own eyes began to tear up as well. A skunk?

"Come on Logan, we need to get away from here."

He just shook his head and pulled a small plastic bag out of his pocket. Opening it he quickly inserted the filters into his nose. After a few deep breaths he found he could talk again.

"Sorry darlin I only got one pair. Hank and me were both wondering after my last little run in why skunks would be wanderin around almost two hours after sunrise. So he got me the filters just in case. Gotta be some damn reason why the little fuckers are doin this. I'm gonna take a look around. I need ya ta stay here."

"If you think I'm going to just wait while you..."

"Ya gotta kid. I'm gonna be sneakin around. Can't do that if you come with. Yer too damn noisy."

She knew he was right, so instead of arguing with him she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him fiercely. "Just don't get your butt in trouble. Please be careful Logan."

"Always darlin. I'll see ya in a few minutes."

She watched him turn away from the path and start swiftly up the slope. His bare feet made no sound at all, and even though there was practically no undergrowth to serve as cover by the time he was half way up she had difficulty seeing him. Within a minute he was lost to her sight.

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God she was going to puke. Jubilee was sure of it. There's a thought. If she could time it right, she could barf all over Logan right before she blasted him. Only it would have to happen soon, because she didn't think she could run much further. As it was, the only way she could keep from stumbling with fatigue was to keep her eyes glued to the path. Because of that she almost fell flat on her face when she heard the sound of John's voice.

"Hey Jubes. Good to see you again."

She had no clue that he was standing there. Would have run right into him if he hadn't called out to her. He'd always had a kind of a thing for her when he lived at Xavier's, and seeing her again reminded him of why. She was wearing a black sports bra and track pants that rode low on her hips. And she'd obviously been working out.

"Why are you here dude? What's going on?"

"You just stay right there," he warned. " I got nothing against you Jubes, and I don't want to hurt you. So just chill out."

He flicked the lighter to show her he was serious. He had always gotten along well with her. Part of him wondered if the reason for that was their shared experience of living on the street before Xavier found them. They had never really said anything to each other about what had happened to them. Some things you just didn't talk about. But it was like you just knew when you met someone that came out of the same hell you did.

"Relax Johnny. And don't start makin with the flames, I'm hot enough as it is. So what's goin on Johnny? You workin for the Magster now? Somethin tells me you ain't here just for old times sake." She slowly closed the distance as she spoke. Something that wasn't lost on Pyro.

"I told you to stay where you were. Don't make me burn you Jubes. This ain't any of your business. The boss doesn't want any trouble with you guys. And no, it doesn't have anything to do with Rogue. I wouldn't be any part of that." He wasn't really worried. After all he was almost a foot taller and probably had at least eighty pounds on her. Then why did he feel like she was stalking him?

"Oh...so Mags lets ya call your own shots? Didn't think he was like that. Ya know we missed ya Johnny. Frosty was mopin around for weeks when you didn't come back with us." Just two more steps she thought.

"That stupid little prick. He's got his nose buried so far up Xavier's ass I'm surprised he even noticed. I told you we aren't looking to make trouble for the X-Men. We're just gonna grab Logan. Magneto wants to talk with him. I don't know why but the boss seems to think..."

Jubilee didn't really care to hear what Magneto's thoughts were. She took one step, and turned into a round house kick that caught Pyro in the head. As her right foot came down she landed a straight punch with her left hand that broke his nose. Pivoting she grabbed his right arm in both her hands and twisted it viciously forcing him to drop the Zippo. Feeling his left arm coming around her throat she quickly ducked, released his arm, and rolled away before scrambling to her feet to face him. Blood was pouring from his nose and he was holding his right arm at a funny angle. His eyes darted back and forth from her to the lighter that lay between them.

"You little shit! I'm gonna fry your ass!"

"Too bad Johnny, but I don't need a fucking lighter." The last thing he saw was the eerie glow of her right hand.

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Logan wasn't happy. He had worked is way up to the top and could see the entire open area from his vantage point just inside the woods. A skunk had sprayed here recently, but why? There was no sign of anything that would threaten it. Not even a skunk for that matter. Just the stench. He could smell it right though McCoy's space age filters. Puzzled, his eyes slowly scanned the meadow. Bingo.

At the far edge of the clearing a girl stood motionless. Logan figured she was sixteen at most, with a dark complexion and close cropped green hair. She looked like she was in some kind of trance. Not being able to smell made him intensely uneasy. Even though no threats were apparent, he felt like he must be missing something. Slowly he crept closer. Right behind her was a grove of evergreen trees. And off to her right a huge pile of leaves and other dead fall. Either one could hide at least one person. It had to be one or the other. With the trees just beginning to bud there wasn't any other cover. Slowly letting the claws out he stood and started walking toward her. It took a few seconds, then things began to happen.

First, the girl came out of her trance. Taking one look at him and the hardware, she ran off screaming into the woods. He wasn't surprised; she hadn't looked like much of a threat. Besides Logan was too preoccupied to worry much. Something about the pines caught his eye. The instincts that never failed him screamed a warning.

His decision made he broke into a run, plunged into thicket, and slammed full speed straight into Sabertooth. Ramming head first into the bigger man's chest, Logan pushed him back out through the pines and then buried the claws of his right hand to the hilt in his gut. With a roar Creed backhanded his tormentor, landing a crushing blow that sent him crashing back through the trees and tumbling into the clearing. Logan quickly rolled off his back just as Sabertooth exploded out of the grove. They circled each other, searching for an opening, or a weakness.

"You fucking little runt," Creed snarled. "I still own you for our last go round. And I'm gonna collect."

Even though he was ready, the attack came so fast he barely reacted in time. Ducking under the huge right paw, Logan struck out, driving the claws of left hand under Creed's arm and into his side. Sabertooth roared in pain blood suddenly visible on his lips. Trying to pull back, he was taken by surprise when the larger man's hand clamped down on his, holding him firmly in place. Lips curling into a feral grin, Creed spit the blood out of his mouth right into Logan's face.

"Gotcha now fucker," he was almost purring. "You never shoulda come this close."

Creed's other arm shot out, his huge hand closing around Logan's throat, razor sharp claws digging into the flesh. Feeling the crushing force constricting his windpipe, he tried to pull away. Creed's talons just dug deeper into his flesh, literally taking his breath away. Then Logan felt it. Overriding the fear and panic. The feral rage that signaled his instincts kicking in. Something inside him that was more an animal then a man came to the fore. Nothing else mattered but survival.

Hooking his leg behind one of Creed's Logan pushed until the other mutant stubbled backwards falling on his back with Logan on top. For a moment Creed didn't recognize the face of the man he was choking. His eyes were almost completely black, his lips twisted into a soundless snarl. With inhuman speed the Wolverine impaled Sabertooth in the chest with the blades of his free hand. Logan's snarl became a sickly smile as he started twisting it. Blood and gore spurted out of the gaping wound, and Logan was thrown violently away as Creed screamed in agony.

Janet Phillips was a patient person. At least that's what she kept telling herself. And after all it had only been a few minutes since Logan had started up the slope. Still, she had almost decided to follow him up when she heard what sounded like an animal roaring in pain. Without hesitation she began running up the slippery trail. The terrible scream that rang in her ears when she was half way up served only to increase her speed.

Reaching the top she stopped, staring horrified at the sight in front of her. They were about one hundred feet away, almost half way across the meadow. Logan, crouched low, claws out, and circling to his right, the front of his torn shirt covered in blood that was leaking from what looked like slashes on his neck. He was facing someone (was it a man?) who towered over him. Shaggy wild hair, torn blood soaked clothing, and a hideous wound to his chest. A wound that was healing right before her eyes. The sound of their growling filled the air, the unmistakable signal of two beasts in pain. Then without warning the mutants closed the gap between then with a murderous fury.

As they collided she could see Logan's claws stabbing into the other man's belly, even as Creed tore bloody strips across Logan's back. For several seconds they were locked in a desperate embrace, each one trying to inflict as much damage as possible as they attempted to throw the other off his feet. Finally, Creed succeeded in gaining the leverage he needed to toss the Wolverine over his shoulder toward the opposite end of the clearing.

Moving impossibly fast for someone so large, he was on top of Logan almost before he had time to scramble back to his feet. Lashing out, Wolverine ripped red gouges across the other man's chest. Their movements became frenzied, slashing and dodging as each tied to deliver a crippling blow while avoiding the others deadly attacks. Janet could hear nothing but their animalistic growling, and the obscene noise made when bone or metal ripped into flesh. But even as terrible wounds were inflicted they would heal, with nothing to show for their efforts but the blood that now covered them.

It was Janet who gave Creed his opportunity. Not aware that she had followed him, Logan's total concentration was fixed on his feral enemy when he caught sight of her standing by the edge of the slope. When he turned his head slightly, just to assure himself she was safe, it was the opening that Creed needed. His huge left paw snaked out the claws tearing into Logan's face and wounding his exposed right eye. Blinded both by the injury and the blood Logan stubbled backward just has Creed kicked out, sending him flying to land near the meadows edge.

Instantly Sabertooth was on him, relentless, pressing his advantage to end the fight. Logan kept backing away trying to give his healing factor the time it needed. Soon they were at the border of the clearing, with nothing behind but a steep drop off that fell away into the forest below. A maniacal grin formed on Creed's face. As he lashed out to take Logan's remain eye the smaller man flicked his wrist slicing off the fingers that were seeking to blind him. Sabertooth's strangled howl was suddenly cut off as Logan punched both sets of blades into his chest. Dropping to his back, he pulled the other man down while kicking out with both feet. Creed went sailing over the edge to fall crashing into the trees below.

Rolling to his feet, Logan stalked to the edge intending to follow knowing the fall wouldn't keep Sabertooth down for long. Hearing a sound he quickly turned to see Janet standing at the opposite end of the meadow, just staring at him. Shit, he thought, he had to get her away from here before Creed returned.

But even as he broke into a run the sapling ten feet to her left transformed into Mystique. In one smooth motion she crouched down, brought the grenade launcher to her shoulder, and fired. There was little time to react. All Logan could do was twist his face away just before the bomb landed at his feet and exploded. Shrapnel ripped into him, tearing bloody wounds across his arms and face, severing his trachea, the force of the blast knocking him off his feet. Struggling to breathe through his ruined windpipe Logan levered himself onto his hands and knees. All he needed was a little time. Something he knew he didn't have. "Run darlin," he wanted to scream, but all he could manage was a weak croak. As the darkness took him, he raged at his failure.

Not satisfied Mystique broke the breach, loading another grenade. Bringing it back to her shoulder she took aim just as a bare foot kicked out and sent the weapon spinning out of her hands. Startled, she turned toward Janet and right into a round house kick that snapped her head back. Mystique of course had been aware of the woman's presence, but knowing she was human had given her no thought at all. A blue hand came up to wipe a trickle of blood from her mouth. Janet had her full attention now.

Anger had overrode her fear. Without hesitation Janet had struck out to protect the man she loved. Now she thought, she just had to survive herself. In a blur of motion Mystique's attack hit home. Janet barely blocked the side kick, the force of which still sent her stumbling back, off balance and open to the punch that caught her just under the left eye, knocking her sprawling on her back. Seeing double she rolled away as another kick whistled past her head, scrabbling to stand on shaky legs.

"Stupid normal," the blue mutant sneered. "I think we'll take you with us. Victor needs a new toy."

As Mystique moved in Janet tried a palm strike, but with amazing speed her opponent slipped the blow and seized Janet's wrist twisting it until the bone snapped while driving her knee into the human's ribs. Janet screamed, feeling her legs give out as she began to black out. Before she could slide to the ground Mystique grabbed the front of her shirt and pitched her through the air to land flush on her damaged right wrist. Crying out from the pain which snapped her back to consciousness, Janet slowly rolled to her left and tried to push herself up with her good arm. She could hear the sound of Mystique's laughter, which was suddenly cut off as the report of what sounded like a gunshot rang in her ears. God, she thought, what now? Finally pushing herself to her knees, she saw the scorched still smoking form of Mystique lying flat on the grass with Jubilee standing over her, hands still sparking.

Jubilee's eyes darted to the badly beaten Janet, the gross blue mutant she had just put down, then to the still form of Logan. None of her training had covered situations like this. Spoting what looked to her like a weird shotgun, she pick it up and walked over to Janet. Jubilee was shaken by her appearance. Bleeding from her mouth and nose. And her wrist looked...wrong.

"Don't worry dude, I took that bitch down! Look maybe you should not try ta move. You look like you're hurt real bad. The Hankster told me that ya shouldn't try ta move a person around when they're hurt. You could like cause even more damage. And big blue, he's like some kind of super genius so ya just gotta listen when he talks."

Jubilee was agitated. When she was agitated she tended to wave her arms around. And babble. A lot. But what alarmed Janet was the grenade launcher the girls was holding. And waving. Slowly reaching out with her good arm, she gently latched onto the hand that held the weapon.

"It's ok Jubilee," she said in a shaky voice, "I'm fine. Well not fine but I'm still here thanks to you. Please be careful with that thing, or neither one of us will be fine."

"Oh shit," Jubilee shouted, "it's some kind of freaky cannon!" The teen started to toss it away but Janet's grip on her hand tightened.

"It's all right Jubilee...just...just give it to me. Thanks. Look, I don't think I can stand up yet. I'm a little dizzy. Would you please go check on Logan? He's been down for a while. I'm really worried about him."

Running over to Logan, she felt her stomach lurch. He was lying face down in the grass, his shirt covered in blood. Every time he took a breath she heard this horrible bubbling rattle. Kneeling down she tried to turn him over, but he was just too heavy. Pushing as hard as she could, Jubilee managed to turn his upper body slightly, only to recoil in shock at the sight. Blood gurgled out of a deep gash to the front of his throat. Several jagged wounds ran down the left side of his face. Pulling back she stared in horror at the blood that covered her hands.

"Looks like I got me a new playmate," rasped a low menacing voice.

There he was at the opposite end of the meadow. Sabertooth. Jubilee had seen the grainy pictures taken off the security cameras at Liberty Island. Now that she could see him in the flesh one word popped into her head. UGLY. Clothing torn and bloody, holding his mangled right hand fast to his side, he certainly looked like bad news. She wanted to run so bad. Edging back from Logan to give herself some room, she started charging up, figuring she'd have one good chance.

"You scared a me little girl?"

Sniffing the air his smirk became a grin. One that revealed wicked canines. Slowly Jubilee shook her head. And Creed began to laugh. It was a sound that sent shivers down her spine.

"Don't lie to me bitch. I can smell it on ya. I'm gonna have a lot of fun with you girl. I ain't had Chinese in a long time."

Anger chased the fear out of her heart. "I am so not your next meal asshole. But if ya want something ta eat, try this!"

A sphere of pure energy the size of a volleyball rocketed toward Creed. While surprised by her powers, his reflexes were second to none. Powerful leg muscles propelled him into the air, allowing the plasma bomb to pass under harmlessly and explode amongst the trees. Landing on his feet he immediately broke into a run, closing the distance with terrifying speed. His attention was fixed on Jubilee, enjoying the look of shock and fear on her face.

The Asian teen stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by the sight of the bestial man bearing down on her. Suddenly something hard and metallic was thrust into her hand. The freaky shotgun!

"Use it," Janet shouted, "it shoots bombs." Before her eyes Jubilee terrified expression transformed into an evil grin. Grabbing the weapon out of the other woman's hand she pointed it in Creed's direction and pulled the trigger.

"Get down," Janet shouted. Shoving Jubilee over with her good arm she threw herself on top of the girl just as the grenade exploded.

Creed had tried to change direction when he saw the weapon, but his momentum caused him to stumble and before he could regain his balance the grenade exploded right in front of him. Jagged metal ripped into his torso as the force of the blast tossed him through the air like a rag doll to land face down with a satisfying thud. Jubilee cried out in pain as a piece of hot metal pierced her arm. Deafened by the explosion, she didn't hear Janet's straggled moan, but she knew something was wrong when she felt the woman on top of her go limp. As she wriggled out from under the unconscious woman, Jubilee felt something warm dripping down her side. It was Phillip's blood.

"Yer gonna have ta do better then that."

Jubilee whirled around to see Creed slowly rise to his feet. She had to fight from gagging at his condition. His damaged right hand was pressed against his belly. Taking a closer look she realized why. He was holding his own guts in. Creed was bleeding in at least a dozen other places. And he was smiling.

"Before I'm done yer gonna be beggin me ta kill ya." She had been terrified of him before. Now Jubilee was just annoyed.

"Ya know something, you talk too much." She let him have it with everything she had. The fiery explosion dropped him like a stone, leaving Creed a burnt, smoldering wreck. She would have blasted him again if she's had anything left. All Jubilee wanted to do at that moment was kill him. Instead, she went back to have a look at Phillips.

The woman was definitely out. She swallowed hard when she saw the jagged piece of metal sticking out of her side, just below her rib cage. Jubilee felt tears stinging her eyes. She was furious at herself for freezing up at the wrong time, enraged at Creed, and even mad at Janet. It was only the woman's quick thinking that had saved both their lives. The last person she wanted to owe that kind of debt to was Janet Phillips. She knew Janet needed help, but she couldn't leave her and Logan while they were both out of it. Logan. Damn it she thought, he should be healed up by now. Running over to him, she began to shake his still form desperately, heedless of the blood that covered him.

"Come on Wolvie, wake up will ya. Phillips is bleeding all over the place and I don't have a fucking clue."

At first there was no response. She was about to shake him again when his left arm twitched. Startled and recalling what had happened when Marie had tried to wake him, Jubilee scrambled back a few feet to wait. Nothing. She stood up to walk around to his feet, deciding that a kick in the mouth was better then a gut full of metal. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something move, but something hard struck the back of her neck before she could react.

Blink watched the girl crumple to the ground, a grimace of distaste on her face. Just another reason why she would never work for Lenscherr again. He had assured her that it was all a simple matter of placement and retrieval. Get his people in and get them and their target out. All with a minimum of trouble. The target would be quickly rendered harmless and no action would be required on her part, besides the use of her teleporting gift. She frowned, looking at the scene before her. She was half tempted just to take Creed and go. The last person she wanted to make an enemy of was Charles Xavier, the one person who could negate her ability with a simple thought. Never believe in the promise of easy money she told herself. Still, no one had seen her and no doubt Eric would refuse to pay her the balance if she failed to retrieve Logan. Her mind made up she bent down to touch him. SNICK! Three razor sharp claws tore into her side even as she threw herself back, barely escaping a killing wound. Feral eyes stared at her, set in a face contorted in rage. As Logan struggled to his feet she backed away. Not daring to take her eyes off him, she felt her side, stifling the urge to cry out in pain. She knew it was bad; she could feel herself beginning to fade Teleporting over to Sabertooth, she knelt down to take his hand. Moments later they were gone.

The threat ended, Logan sank slowly to his knees, as he worked to reign in his instincts. The thought that it could have been Janet or even one of the kids that he had lashed out at, rather then one of Magneto's flunkeys filled him with self loathing. The last thing he remembered was the explosion that ripped through him. Janet. Fear gripped him with the realization that he had left her alone to deal with Mystique and Creed. He had to find her. Shit, why was it so hard to breath? He tried to stand, but he was just too weak.

Then, without warning, his body was wracked by a terrible fit of coughing, his lungs expelling the blood that had collected there from his wounded throat. Bloody mucous spewed from his mouth running down his chin and the front of his ruined shirt. His raw throat burned with irritation, and he felt a wave of nausea caused by the foul substance Bending over he vomited up the contents of his stomach, which consisted mostly of blood. Feeling too fatigued and dizzy to stand, he crawled a few feet away and then sprawled out on the grass. It was a little easier to breath now, but he still felt like he had to puke. After a while the urge subsided and he levered himself into a kneeling position, when he turned his head to get a better view of his surroundings, he saw them for the first time. Janet and Jubilee.

Confused at Jubilee's presence, he carefully stood up and made his way over to them. They were both unconscious. But while Jubes didn't look too bad (except for the cut on her arm), getting a good look at Janet felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest. Emotions, some of which he couldn't put a name to, warred within him. Rage at those who had attacked them. Guilt and shame that he had allowed this to happen. And something that made him swear to himself that he would do anything to keep her from suffering again because of him. Kneeling beside her, he ran a finger gently over her face, smoothing back her long black hair. His head jerked up. Someone coming and fast. Ejecting the claws, he stood waiting. Moments later someone who looked like Hank McCoy bounded into the clearing, stopping suddenly when he saw Logan with blades out ready to fight.

"Please my friend," he said, pointing to the injured women. "Let me help them."

Logan said nothing, just growled and tried to sniff the air. Shaking his head in disgust, he retracted the claws of his left hand and proceeded to pluck out the nose filters. Breathing in again he cracked the biggest smile that Hank had ever seen on him. After a few seconds the frown returned as he eyed the other man coming up behind the Beast. Scott Summers.

"Logan, what the hell is going on..."

"Can it One-Eye. I ain't got time for your shit now. Come on Hank, ya got a couple of patients over here."

He quickly lead the other two men back to the injured women. Hank made a clucking sound when he got a good look at Janet. Shaking his head he began to fire off orders. "Scott, please check on Jubilee. See if you are able to revive her. It is vital for us to determine if she has been concussed. Logan take this," tossing him a cell phone. "Call Robert and ask him to come immediately. He is to take the ATV and bring my emergency medical kit."

While his directions were followed Hank took the opportunity to examine his patent. The most serious problem was the jagged piece of metal lodged in her side. Blood continued to leak around it, dripping on the grass. As he had no bandages to hand he was forced to leave it for the time being. The dried blood present around her mouth was also worrying. Carefully he applied a gentle pressure to her chin, and was relieved to see that what little blood there was seemed to be coming from an abrasion on the inside of her mouth. Almost absently he noted that her right wrist appeared to be broken. Until Bobby arrived there was little more he could do. Hearing a loud moan, followed by a string of cures, he smiled. Jubilee was awake.

"Stop shaking me dammit. Hey big blue, will ya tell him ta stop shoving me around? My head hurts and he's makin it worse."

"That's enough Cyclops. Lay still Ms Lee. Please focus your eye on my finger if you will."

Her pupils looked normal and when he moved his hand she followed it without difficulty. He had her sit up and while she admitted to feeling a little dizzy Jubilee denied feeling nauseous. While highly agitated at the moment, Hank knew that for her this was pretty normal behavior. As soon as he was finished the girl tried to stand.

"No my dear, I must ask that you remain still for a while. You do not appear to be suffering from a concussion but until a can examine you more throughly I would rather be safe then sorry."

"What about Janet " growled Logan. "Is she gonna be alright Hank?"

"Janet's injuries do not appear to be life threatening. How did they come about Logan? Who attacked you?"

He just turned his head away, all attention focused on the woman lying on the ground beside him. So Jubilee began to speak. In a soft voice she told them of her encounter with Pyro and of her desperate run that found her arriving at the top of the slope just in time to blast Mystique. As she described their encounter with Creed she began to shake. Hank gently stoked her back with a huge paw as he tried to calm her.

"I had that asshole dead ta rights and I missed. I couldn't believe it. He was coming at me so fast and I couldn't...I just froze. If Phillips hadn't used her head we would have...he would have..."

"Hey kid, it's ok. Facing someone like him ain't somethin you were ready ta do. Ya did yer best ta protect her..."

"She protected me! Wolvie she pushed me over and threw herself on top of me. She knew it was gonna explode."

Silence followed. Logan stared at Janet cursing quietly.. He wanted to touch her, but he was afraid to do anything that might cause her further pain. Hank could see the sadness in his eyes.

"If you wish to Logan you may hold her left hand. It would not be harmful and may even furnish her with a degree of comfort." And will certainly do the same for you he added silently. Slowly Logan extended his hand, grasping her smaller one gently. Hank could see a little of the tension that had him coiled like a spring dissipate. But the sadness remained.

Scott had called the mansion and told Peter to head down the trail and find Pyro. After he broke the connection he walked over to Logan. "I just don't get this. First of all why the attack? And why you? And if they really planned to attack you why didn't Magneto come himself? Think about it; that's the one sure way he could get you and they had to know that otherwise it would be tough."

Logan shrugged, grimacing at the memory. "Don't know about that. Last time we tangled I pretty much had my ass handed ta me. As ta the why, do they even need a fucking reason?"

"I know why, Johnny told me." Two heads turned abruptly in Jubilee's direction. "Johnny said somethin about the Magster wantin to talk with you Logan. Said they didn't want any trouble with us, they just wanted you."

Scott started to say something but Logan cut him off. "They had a teleporter. She was reachin for me when I came out of it. Got her with the claws but only a little. Then she ported over ta Creed and they both got away."

"Still it would seem foolish," Hank muttered, "to assume you would fall into their trap so easily. How would they be able surprise you when..."

"...they had a way to mask their scent. Hank they used a skunk, just like before. Only they just had it spray where they set up the ambush. So I couldn't smell em out. That girl, she must have...wait...sounds like Drake's here. Come on Hank, we can figure this shit out later."

Sure enough a few seconds later Hank heard the rattle of the ATV. Leaving the others he bounded down the slope to retrieve the stretcher. It was the work of a few minutes to carefully slide Janet on to it and strap her down. He and Logan maneuvered it down the treacherous slope while Scott carried Jubilee, much to her disgust. After Logan helped McCoy secure the stretcher to the ATV, he turned back, starting up the slope once more.

"Logan, we must get her back as quickly as we can."

"Then get to it McCoy. I've got some huntin ta do."

"Wait Logan," Scott called out. "Who are you looking for? Not even you can track a teleporter."

"I ain't lookin for Creed Summers, not right now. Mystique didn't port out with the other two. Least that's what my nose tells me. Need ta have a little talk with her. Before I cut her fucking head off."

"Don't do this Logan. Killing Mystique isn't going to help Janet. Do you really think..."

"She's over Summers. I ain't gonna let her have another chance. Hank, I'll be back in a while. Just...you know just take care of her."

Hank nodded, and he turned to trudge back up the slope. It was pretty easy to pick up her trail. There was even a little blood for a while. After a mile her scent lead him across a road and then cut through some farm fields, before heading into a wooded area. Logan emerged from the trees about one hundred yards from a farm house. Mystique's scent vanished at a gravel parking area and he saw evidence that a car had been there. Walking toward the house he caught a new scent, one he didn't recognize. He tried the door, found it was open and slipped quietly inside.

This place was dark inside, with all the blinds pulled down. It stank of death. Sniffing he headed in the direction of the new scent. He found her in the kitchen, sitting on the floor with her back to a door. When she lifted her a stained face to look at him, the look of horror and guilt on her face startled him. It was the girl from the meadow.

"Ya got one chance girl. You tell me who you are and where the rest of them are. And don't lie ta me. I'll know if ya do."

She just stared at him with empty eyes. He hauled her up and pushed the door open. The stink of putrefaction washed over him. She began to struggle, begging him to release her. She didn't want to go down there again. Babbling on about how sorry she was. He let her go, and she sank back down to the floor, burying her head in her hands. It took him only a minute in the basement to confirm what his nose told him. Two bodies, torn to pieces. At least he thought there were two of them. He went back up the stairs and closed the door. Not that it helped much. Using the cell phone Hank had given him he called Cyclops. That done he took a few moments to study the girl. She was curled up in a ball crying without making a sound, rocking back and forth her head bowed, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Get up," he growled, "we're gettin out of here."

Her head snapped up, finally looking him in the eye. "If you are going to kill me, I'd rather you do it now."

"If I was gonna kill ya I wouldn't be talkin ta ya. And you'd already be dead."

"But...the blue woman told me that you were a killer, that you would do terrible things to me if you were to catch me."

Logan shook his head. "And she's been straight with ya. Told ya the truth right down the line."

"No...no she has not. She told me that no one would be harmed. That they only wanted to capture you because you were dangerous."

"Well even Mystique tells the truth sometimes. I am dangerous. And sometimes I am a killer. But I don't enjoy it. And I ain't gonna kill you. So get on yer feet, we gotta get going."

"Where are we going?"

"What's yer name kid?"

"I am Jana...Jana Cobas.

"Well Jana we're goin to a place I know. A place for people like us."


	22. Interlude

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. Obviously this was harder to write then I thought it would be. Thanks to all who are taking the time to read this and especially to those of you who review. Any feedback would be highly appreciated. **

**Interval: Logan's POV**

I hate this damn place. Everyone knows it and they think they know the reason why. Now I can't deny that anything having to do with medical procedures makes my skin crawl. But that ain't the real reason. It's these damn metal walls. They scream Lenscherr. Chuck should cover this shit up, put in some of that oak paneling he likes so much. But he probably likes to think about Mags when he wheels around down here. Right now I'm thinking about the old bastard too. I'm thinking about how I'm gonna kill him.

I already owe him for what he did to Rogue. Like I told Summers, they never shoulda let him live after Liberty Island. Well I ain't gonna make the same mistake. Seeing how he owns my ass this one's gonna be tricky. But I got a pretty good imagination when it comes to killing. I'm sure I can come up with something. And if I can't maybe Fury can.

Shit, I gotta get a hold of myself. Hank said Janet could be coming around soon. She don't need me foaming at the mouth when she opens her eyes. I already fucked up by nearly getting her killed. Running off to fight Creed when I should have been lookin out for her. If Jubes hadn't showed…I can feel the claws just itching between my knuckles. The last thing Janet needs is a fucked up head case like me. She's got enough shit to deal with. The best thing I could do for her would be to clear out. Trying to stay here is the stupidest idea I ever had.

"Logan?"

Son of a bitch! Summers. Didn't even hear him. Am I that screwed up? "What do ya want Cyke?"

"So, how is she doing?"

I don't need this. "How the hell should I know. McCoy shot her up with so much crap she probably won't wake up till next week." He turns to go and I'm damn glad. Don't want to have to deal with him right now.

"The Professor and I have to go talk to the police about…about what happened."

You mean about how Creed cut those people in the farm house to pieces? I'll bet Summers didn't know he could puke that much. "Yea, so?" Cause I don't get why the fuck I should care right now. Dick head let's out this little sigh, gives me the "you're such an asshole" glare. Which I don't mind cause I pretty much am one.

"What the hell is your problem Logan? You think you're the only one who feels bad about what happened? You're pissed because they took you by surprise. You're mad at yourself because they hurt her. Why don't you stop blaming yourself for something that…"

I'm out of my chair and in his face so fast that he actually flinched for a moment. The last thing I need or want is Summer's fucked up notion of understanding.

"Who the fuck you think I should blame One-Eye," I growl, chuckling to myself at the way he looks. I'm right in his face and he don't like it. "Janet gets herself beat on by the shitheads Mags sent ta find me. Then a kid who ain't ready for any of this, has to step in and cover my ass cause I'm too stupid ta figure out it's all a trap. All because I lose my fuckin head and go runnin off like an idiot ta fight Creed. I shoulda walked away damn it! She needed me ta protect her and I fucked up."

Summers just shakes his head, that nervous look long gone. Replacing it is something Marie calls his Leader Face. But to me he just looks constipated. "Don't be an ass Logan. How could you have know anything like this was going to happen? Even the Professor was taken in. Attacking us here was something no one could have guessed they would do."

What bullshit. Does he really believe the crap that's coming out of his mouth? "Ya know Cyke, maybe you should start askin Chuck why Mags is always two steps ahead of us. Seems ta me that Xavier ain't got the first clue what he's gonna do next. Hell, he can't even find the old coot. And ya know what? I don't think he wants to."

"What are you saying Logan? You can't really believe that? You know as well as I do that the Professor wants to see him behind bars once and for all. How can you say that after what happened at Alkali Lake?"

Good. He doesn't sound so damn confident now. Problem is they're living in the past. Chuck and Summers are still thinking about fighting the good fight. Catch the bastard, turn him over to the Feds. Let them worry about it. Trouble with that is every minute that son of a bitch is free gives him another chance to screw things up. Next time he fucks with someone we're all gonna pay.

"You go ahead and think whatever ya want to Summers. Me, I don't aim ta sit around on my ass waitin for Chuck ta find him. That fucker owes me and I'm gonna collect."

Didn't think Summers could sneer that good. Kid surprises me sometimes. "You really think you can find him without our help? And what the hell could you do even if you tracked him down? So why don't you drop the bullshit…"

"I don't need ta be anywhere around him ta take him down." Even Summers is smart enough to known that. Course I'm sure he prefers not to think too hard about how many ways there are to kill a person. "Relax Cyke, you don't need ta get worked up about this. Ya see there's a reason why I'm gonna do this on my own. Sure, havin you guys help would make it easier. But then Mags would just end up back in prison and I want him dead."

"Are you sure Creed didn't rattle that metal skull of your's? Because that's the only thing I can think of that would lead you to believe we'd just stand around and let you commit cold blooded murder."

I stare at him, feeling almost sorry for the guy. You'd think he'd get it by now. "Yer not gonna be there Cyke. You won't even know when it happens. So unless yer gonna make it a career ta follow me around I'd just forget we ever had this little talk. It's time you learned there's some things yer better off not knowin."

I start to turn around when I feel his hand on my shoulder. Who the fuck does he think he is? "You're part of a team Logan. You just can't go off and do this without us."

He almost sounds like he's sorry. We both knows he's got to say this stuff. Kind of like a tradition. But it doesn't change the outcome. I reach up and brush his hand off. "What I do on my own time ain't any of yer business. Ya better go find Chuck Summers. Ya wouldn't want ta keep him waiting."

I walk back to the chair Hank set up for me by Janet's bed. I can feel Summers staring a hole in my back. After about a minute his footsteps fade down the hallway. Fucking asshole! Reaching into my shirt pocket I pull out a cigar. If I can't smoke at least I can chew on it. I take a look to see how she's doing and almost swallow the damn thing. Her eyes are open and she's staring right at me. I don't need my nose to tell me she's pissed.

"How are ya doin darlin?" Damn. I'm guessin by the look she just gave me that was the wrong thing to say.

"Don't call me that. Not after what you just said to Scott. Not unless you can tell me that you won't…Logan please tell me you're not going to kill someone over what happened today."

Yea, definitely the wrong thing. "I'm sorry ya had ta hear that."

"But not sorry you're going to do it. And I'm sure you think it would be better if I didn't know."

Definitely better for me darlin. Would I have told her? Probably not. "Yea, maybe I do. But not for the reason yer thinking. I just don't want ta see ya upset right now. Ya need ta rest Janet. Hank's gonna be mad at me if he finds out I woke ya."

She's fighting the drugs. Her eyelids droop shut and for a few seconds it looks like she's out. Then her head jerks and those brown eyes are staring at me again. When she starts speaking her voice is slurred, but she makes sure she has my attention when her good hand curls into mine.

"Promise me Logan, please tell me you won't do this. You can't…it's not right. If you kill them because of me, I just couldn't live with that. Please Logan…promise me…"

Each word is a little softer and I can barely make out the last few. There, she's sleeping again and even if it makes me a coward I'm glad. She needs it and I just can't face where this was going. I want to tell her that I won't do it, that right now I'm mad as hell but I'll be alright. But while there's some things I won't tell her, that's not the same thing as lying to her. Cause there's no way I can make that promise and be telling her the truth. Right now, I can still pretend that everything's fine. How pathetic is that? But I'm a selfish bastard. When I find something this good, I want to hold on to it as long as I can.

Standing up, I bend down until my face is almost touching hers. Slowly I inhale taking in her scent. She smells peaceful. Like an alpine meadow when the first flowers bloom after winter. Right now I just want to burn it into my mind. It's the damndest thing, how calm her scent can make me feel. No one I remember ever had this kind of effect on me. I'm in over my fucking head with her.

Pulling back a little, I spend some time just looking at her. The long black hair she usually wears in a pony tail is fanned out across her pillow. Before I quite realize what I'm doing my hand brushes away raven strands from her forehead, smoothing them back behind her ear. Tracing the line of her jaw soft skin brushing my fingertips. Thumb sliding over her full lips and then back up her cheek, carefully because of the bruising. Just touching her like this makes something inside me twist a little.

I want her. When you break it down to the basics it's lust, but it's also more then that. I should know since I'm something of an expert on that one. If it was just horny I would have done something about it already and I'm sure that wouldn't have been a problem for her. Then again, with Janet you never know. Everything about her and this thing we have confuses the hell out of me.

Part of me wants to walk out Xavier's front door and never look back. That's how I used to deal with stuff like this before I came here. Never liked the idea of getting too close to a woman. Never wanted to let anyone have that kind of hold on me. Most of the time that wasn't a problem. Most of the gals I ran into were looking for the same thing I was, and they were happy to move on. Once in a while one would get it into her head that she wanted more, but I never stuck around to find out how that worked. At the time I told myself I was doing them a favor, but looking back I can see it would have made things a little easier now.

I know there's stuff she expects; things she wants me to say and do. I'm sure for most people it wouldn't be all that hard to figure out. But while I've got a lot of ways to convince a woman she wouldn't go wrong sharing her bed with me; I ain't exactly worked out the rest of it. Never really cared about that stuff before, but Janet makes me want to care. That scares me worse that Mags or his sorry ass Brotherhood ever could.

"So how is our patient doing?" McCoy strolls in, wearing a lab coat over a white shirt complete with a funny little bow tie. Somehow it just looks right on him.

"She woke up for a couple of minutes. Don't seem ta be hurtin right now. Hank, she's gonna be ok, ain't she?"

"I assure you my friend that Janet will make a complete recovery. She will need to have her wrist immobilized for three or four weeks. In addition, some rehabilitation will be required for the muscle that was damaged by the shard of metal that pierced her side. Actually in that she is quite fortunate. If she had been struck several inches higher the result would likely have been a ruptured kidney. All in all I would expect…"

Why the hell is he looking at me like that. Oh shit! I'm growling. Gotta clamp down on that. Ain't McCoy's fault, he was just telling me how it is. "Sorry bout that Blue. When I start thinkin too much about what happened, it just comes out."

"You do not need to explain to me Logan. I understand better then you might think."

First Scooter and now McCoy. I'm getting a little tired of all this mutant understanding. "I just had this fucking talk with Summers. So don't give me any shit about how this ain't my fault and no one could have seen it coming. I shoulda been thinkin about her, not tryin ta get a piece of Creed's hide. And I don't care what any of ya say, I'm gonna make sure Mags and those fuckers that work for him don't get another chance ta hurt anyone here."

Hank surprises me. No song and dance about how bad an idea this is and no crap that it ain't my fault. Instead he turns and walks back to his office after motioning that I should come with him. I don't really like the idea of leaving Janet, but McCoy usually doesn't waste my time. So after one last look to assure myself she's still sleeping, I follow. Considering how much work he does down here his office is tiny. Hell, I've seen bigger closets. But unlike Hank's sometimes messy personal appearance it's neat. Just crowded. Piles everywhere, but highly organized piles. He stops in front of a book shelf that's so crammed with books, folders, and other assorted paper junk that you couldn't jam in a menu if you used a jack hammer. Grabbing something off the top of the case, he hands it to me.

It looks like a book, but with no cover. Just paper with three metal clips to hold it together. The title says, "Some Observations on the Psychology of The Feral Mutant." He's got to be kidding me. "Are you nuts McCoy? You think some fucking shrink could get you any idea what's goin on in my head?"

Instead of telling me how screwed up my feelings are he wants me to read about it! I guess it's better then hearing Summers drone on but…nuts. I shoulda know. The fucking shrink that wrote it is Dr. Henry McCoy. Looking up from the bundle of paper I expect to see Hank giving me the evil eye. Instead his shoulders are shaking. What the hell? Yup, he's laughing his ass off at me.

"I am sorry Logan," he manages to get out after about half a minute. First time I ever heard the guy laugh. Sounds like a moose with a bad case of the hiccups. "It was not my intention to beat you over the head, as it were, with this tome of mine. Nor will I denigrate or attempt to rationalize your feelings of anger toward Eric. But there are aspects of this that you may not be aware of. Aspects that have to do with the mutation we both share. If you have a few minutes, I may have some insights that will be of value to you."

I know that look. A few minutes just ain't gonna cut it. Hank's gone into lecturing mode, and I'm the hard target. Still, you really can't go wrong listening if big Blue has something to say. "Go head and speak yer piece Hank."

"You have expressed your desire to end the threat Mr. Lenscherr poses to this school and it's inhabitants. How do you propose to go about this?"

He ain't serious? I thought the guy was supposed to be a genius. "Only way he's gonna stop being a pain in our ass is if he's dead. The fucker needs killin Hank." I'm ready for the horrified denial. The expression of disapproval, even disgust. What I get is a smile (or is he baring his fangs?) and what sounds like a low growl. Huh?

"Yes, no doubt that is true. However, as I'm sure you have observed, that phrase can be used to describe many people you have met over the years. Even so, I am willing to wager that it is not a need you have fulfilled often if at all except in the case of self defense."

Funny thing is he's right. In spite of what some people around here might think, you can't find out where I've been by looking for the trail of hacked up bodies. But Hank should know that just because I normally don't doesn't mean I won't. "You saw what I did to those FOH fuckers. If you think I'm just talkin you better think again."

"That is not the same thing Logan. They were brutalizing two helpless girls. What you are talking about involves the murder of people based on their potential to cause future harm."

"Don't see the difference McCoy. You know Lenscherr ain't ever gonna quit, not till he gets what he wants. He ain't ever gonna leave us alone." But something here don't add up. "I don't get you Hank. You ain't said one word ta me about what I did that night. Lenscherr is a bigger problem for us then those assholes could ever be, but you think it's a bad thing that I want ta put him down? Yer gonna have to explain that ta me."

"What do you wish me to say Logan? That there is a part of me that also wants to deal with Magneto once and for all. That killing him is very possibly the best way to ensure our safety. That even if I do believe it is wrong to take a life, I have not objected to your actions that night because I wanted nothing more then to kill those monsters myself."

Now Hank ain't one to bullshit. But come on, he's about the calmest, most easy going guy I've ever met. Cripes I just can't buy it. "No fucking way Hank. You ain't a killer. Not even close to it. I seen enough of em to know."

"Like you, I possess the feral gift. One of the many by products of our gift is an instinctive willingness to use deadly force. It is a part of our nature to want to kill. Whether I like it or not, I am as capable of deadly violence as you given the proper circumstances."

Well, fuck me. Part of _our _nature? He can't be serious. "What are ya tellin me McCoy? That cause we both got enhanced senses we're both killers? That's a crock. I didn't butcher those fuckers cause I'm a mutant. I did it cause I wanted to, and cause they had it coming."

"If you will recall, my statement implies a choice. I am not claiming that we have no control over our actions. Simply that under certain circumstances, such as a threat to ourselves or those we care about, our instincts drive us to react violently. The stronger the mutation, the more difficulty is involved it suppressing the desire to remove the threat permanently."

Can't say I can deny any of the stuff he's saying. With me, putting someone down has always been about a gut feeling. Ain't really all that surprised my mutation is part of that.

"What yer saying makes sense Blue. The only thing I don't get is you saying yer in the same boat. Like I told ya before, I don't see it."

"I assure that whether you see it or not it is the truth. My equanimity is the result of avoiding any situation that could trigger a reaction from my feral nature. It is the reason that I resigned from the team. As our confrontations grew more contentious, I found it increasingly difficult to curb the violent aspects of my feral nature."

He's saying this like it's a bad thing. Well of course stupid, to him it is. But if he really feels that way. "Then why the hell are you back Hank? Shit, things are worse then ever."

"I am well aware of that. Charles needs me. And after what happened, I could not in good conscious stand on the sidelines any longer. There is also the fact that circumstances have changed. After much trial and effort, I discovered a means to gain some measure of control."

Funny, he should be happy about that and he's anything but. "What the hell happened Hank? Cause you ain't exactly tickled pink about it."

Doesn't say anything. Instead he opens a desk drawer pulls something out and slides it across to me. It's a picture. Some guy I don't know. He's standing next to Ro with his arm slung over her shoulder smiling to beat the band. Course the way she's looking at him, I'd be smiling to. She wants to make a meal out of the lucky bastard. Now I know Hank's got a thing for Ro so why the hell would he be showing…Jesus Christ! Same height, same body type, minus the fur, claws and fangs. I open my mouth to say something, but the only thing that makes it past my lips is "What the fuck!"

"Indeed. As you can see in recent times my appearance as been altered drastically. I will not bore you with the scientific details. A colleague and I developed a method of gene therapy that we believed would lessen the intensity of my feral instincts. In this we were successful. However, there were unintended side effects."

"Was it worth it?" I know, sometimes I'm a real asshole. But instead of tearing me a new one, he just shakes his head.

"I do not know how to answer that. I do feel more control of myself then I have at any time since my gift manifested. However as you can see there was a cost. Of course I regret the change in my appearance. But even more, I am saddened by how much I have hurt someone who is very dear to me."

Don't seem like Ro. Wouldn't think she'd care that much about how Hank looked. "What's the problem Hank? Cause I'm pretty damn sure Ro likes the color blue." Good. That got him smiling. Don't usually worry about what people think, but I don't like the idea of Hank being pissed at me.

"I assure you Logan, the changes in my aspect having nothing to do with what lies between us. Rather, it was the fact that I went ahead with the procedure after she asked me not to. She was aware of my plans and she asked me, indeed she begged me, not to proceed. Ororo told me that she loved me as I was, and did not mind those qualities of my mutation that I wished to alter. She was fearful of the risks involved and asked me, for her sake, not to go ahead."

Fuck. Can't I have a single conversation without someone listening in. Course it ain't his fault. He's got the same problem I do. We hear a lot of stuff we ain't supposed to hear.

"We're talkin about two different things McCoy. Like you were just tellin me, it's the way I am. You might want ta fight it. Me, I don't have a problem if my mutation and I agree that Mags should be history."

"You are wrong Logan. A predisposition to react violently when threatened is not the same as premeditated murder. As I said before, if you go down that road there will be no end to killing. But I have a better reason for you to reconsider. One that I wish I had acted upon. That is what she asks of you."

That's a damn good reason, even I know that. Things were a lot simpler when I was on my own. Didn't have to give a shit what anyone thought. Thing is, I'm really not looking forward to being that way again.

"You call it whatever ya want Hank. Ta me it's just common sense. Now you got another way ta stop that motherfucker you let me know. As for what Janet wants, that's not a talk I want ta have right now." I push off the chair and turn for the door. But Hank ain't about to let this one go that easy.

"Logan, it is obvious to me, even without my sensory abilities, that you care for her. I know from hard experience what this will do to your relationship. I will also tell you that despite Charles's desire that you remain here as a part of the team he will not countenance the action you are planning."

"This ain't just about her and me McCoy." Shit. I'm growling again. Gotta calm down. I shouldn't be pissed at Hank. "You gave me a good reason Blue. But there's plenty of other reasons why I'm gonna do this. They're in yer classes everyday. As for what Chuck thinks, he can kiss my ass."

Before Hank can answer that the intercom squawks. It's Marie. And she sounds upset.

"Hank? Are ya there? Ah really need ya ta come up here. We got a situation."

Before he can respond my hand is on the switch. "Hey kid, what's the problem?" Take it easy. She just sounds a little nervous. Not terrified. Relax.

"Ah'm fine Logan. There's a person here, a woman. Says she's a friend a Janet's. Ah tried ta tell her that she ain't seein anyone right now, but she won't leave. She's askin ta see the Professor."

Chuck and Summers must have left. "Where's Ro?"

"Ah think she's with that new girl. The one ya brought back after…well after the attack. Ya want me ta try and find her?"

Hell yes. But I'm pretty sure Jana needs her more then we do right now. With Ro busy it's me or Hank and while I don't like dealing with strangers it's a lot tougher for him. "Leave her be darlin. I'll be there in a minute."

"Are ya sure Logan? Ah didn't want ta drag ya up here, but she just won't take no for an answer."

"It's fine Marie. I'll be right up ta explain the facts to her." I cut the intercom. Hank looks a little worried. "Relax Blue, I'll make nice with who ever the hell it is. You just worry about Janet."

"She will be fine my friend. As soon as she is fully awake I will be discharging her. All she needs is a few days bed rest. You may tell our uninvited guest that Janet will be well enough to receive visitors tomorrow."

I nod to him and duck through the door. I need to get upstairs, but instead I cross the corridor and slip into the medlab. Just checking on her. That's what I tell myself. She's sleeping peacefully, that smell of pain that was coming off her before is just barely there now. Darlin, I wish I could tell you how much I want you right now. I lean over until I can brush her lips with mine. Then I go looking for Marie.


	23. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**A/N: This one took a little longer then I thought. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my story and of course to those of you who have left reviews. As always and feedback is welcome. Let me know what you think.**

Logan could hear them as he stalked down the hallway. Bobby, Marie, and a voice he didn't recognize. A woman who didn't sound happy. Damn it, why the hell did Chuck have to take off now? He hated having to play nice. Maybe if he just popped the claws she'd take off screaming and he could get back to Janet.

"…I know she's here and I insist on seeing her immediately. If Professor Xavier is not available at the moment please find someone else I can talk to."

Educated voice, with just a hint of anger. Someone who's used to getting what she wants he decided. And not about to take no from a couple of teenagers. Stopping when they came within his line of sight, he took in the strangers appearance with a glance. She was wearing a beautifully tailored suit, with a skirt that stopped just below the knees. Black hair, cut stylishly and streaked with gray. He pegged her at about forty-five, with a very nice figure. Rogue caught sight of him over the woman's shoulder and smiled in relief. He scowled, angry at the way this woman was talking to Marie.

"What the hell's goin on here?" Surprised, the woman turned to face him, annoyance clearly written on her face. Definitely didn't like to be kept waiting.

"Oh good, perhaps you can help me find my friend Mr…"

In heels she was almost as tall as he was and didn't seem at all intimidated by his presence. Logan's scowled deepened. Her mouth set in a firm line, startling green eyes offset by a nose that was just a little too large. High cheek bones and a strong jaw. An attractive woman he thought, not afraid to look him in the eye.

"I ain't here ta help you do anything lady, except ta show ya the front door again. On your way out." There, that got her. Annoyance was quickly giving way to anger.

"As I told these young people, my friend Janet was supposed to meet me for lunch today and I am here to find out why she never came. They have already told me that she is here. I want to see her. Now."

Well too fucking bad he thought and opened his mouth to tell her just that…and closed it. Janet's friend. The one they were going to see today. So this was Nat. He really didn't feel like doing this. Even on a good day meeting someone for the first time made him uneasy. He needed to get rid of her, before he said something she'd regret. Or worse.

"You were also **told** she ain't seein anyone right now. Why would ya think you'd hear different from me? You want ta talk to her come back tomorrow."

"Well if you won't help me then perhaps Mr. Xavier will. Where is he?"

"Chuck ain't here."

Now she was well past annoyed. "Why won't you let me see my friend Mr…?"

Logan just stared at her, his hazel eyes boring into her own. There was something behind those eyes, something she couldn't quite identify, but to her didn't seem quite human. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she felt the thrill of fear in the pit of her stomach. Then he closed his eyes, shook his head and it was gone.

"Come on," he rasped, his suddenly hoarse voice just a whisper to her ears. Jerking his head he headed down the hall to an alcove that would give them some measure of privacy.

Nat hesitated, not sure this was a good idea. She didn't know what had just happened, but whatever it was had left her rattled. Still, she wanted answers about Janet and it seemed he was the only who had any. When she caught up with him he was already inside the alcove, his back to her, looking out a window.

"What do you know about this place?"

"Look, what ever your name is all I care about is seeing Janet. Are you going to tell me where she is or do I call the police?"

"If ya want ta call em go ahead. When they get here they can arrest ya for trespassing. Or you can just skip the bullshit and answer my fucking question."

"Fine. This place is a school. And yes I am aware that it's a school for mutants. If you're not going to tell me were my friend is let me talk to someone else."

"I wish I could," he said turning to face her. The look on his face made her even more anxious.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong."

What the hell was he supposed to say? Evil mutants attacked us while we were jogging? Shit, who would even believe the crap that happens here? "Did Janet tell ya what she does here?"

"She told me that some of the children who attend this school have been victims of abuse. The head master, Charles Xavier, needed assistance in helping them."

"She also helps with self defense training. We take the kids in our class on a run every morning. Then the two of us usually run the course again. Today someone was waitin for us."

Suddenly, she remembered what Janet had told her yesterday, when she had called to ask if they could get together for lunch. Something about this man she wanted her to meet. Every morning they went running together. "You're Logan!" she squeaked, eyes wide in disbelief.

He ran his right hand through his spiky hair and then started talking again as if she hadn't said anything. "You hear anything about what happened at Liberty Island a few months ago?" Nat nodded, not sure where he was going with this. "Well it was the same bunch. Last time they grabbed one of the kids. This time they was after me. I wasn't about ta do what they wanted. Janet, well she got hurt during the fight."

God, she didn't know what was more bizarre. The fact that her friend was interested in this man, or the story he was telling her. "You were attacked? Here? At a school?"

Logan's response was a mirthless chuckle. "Ain't really told ya much about us, has she?"

Nat couldn't believe this. Their eyes met and she could see that despite his flippant remark he was upset. "Where is she? I really would like to see her."

He didn't like it, but what could he do, now that he'd told her about what had happened? "Gonna check with Hank. Just stay here, I'll be right back."

Watching him go, she was struck by the grace of his movement. Nat wandered about the small space, pondering silently, thinking over what she had seen and heard. By the time he returned there was something she had to know.

"Hank says for you ta come down. He thinks she's gonna be fine. Said for me ta make sure ya knew that."

"There's something I don't understand," she asked quietly, "if these people were after you, how was it that my friend was the only one who was hurt?"

He growled, a low rumbling sound that startled her. "Come on," he barked stalking past her down the hall without looking back. After a few seconds she followed. The wood paneled walls were tastefully decorated with reproductions of well known paintings, mostly impressionist with a few modern works thrown in. Logan stopped in front of a rare empty spot, produced a key, which he inserted into a lock. The wall slid silently back, revealing an elevator. He entered and gave her a raised eye-brow when she dithered by the door.

"Times a wastin," he drawled, sounding a little apologetic. "Don't like the damn thing either, but it's the only way down." Hesitantly she stepped into the rounded space, quelling the anxiety she felt when the door slid noiselessly shut. Mercifully, it was a quick ride.

Hank looked up from the notes he had just scribbled, musing that before he had gone to medical school his writing had been quite legible. A well dressed woman stood in the door way, her eyes darting from him to Janet. Knowing the effect his appearance had he moved slowly, giving her a tight smile (no fangs) and extending his hand. He was pleased to see her hesitate only briefly before she took it.

"I am Doctor Henry McCoy. I am pleased to meet you Ms…"

"Natalie," she murmured swallowing a yelp as her hand disappearing completely, engulfed by his huge paw. "Doctor Natalie Bannerman. I'm a friend of Janet's." Her attention turned from the enormous blue man to the woman in bed. "What happened to her? Is she going to be alright? Shouldn't she be at a hospital?" With every question her voice began firmer, as distress for her friend overrode the apprehension she felt.

Hank glared at Logan, not pleased that he had apparently told this woman nothing. Logan just shrugged. "Thought you'd be the best one ta tell her."

"I am sure that a simple explanation would have been well within your capabilities Logan," Hank sighed. "Let me first of all assure you that Janet is in no danger. As you can see we have a state of the art medical facility, which is well equipped to deal with all but the most drastic injuries.

"I'll take your word for that Doctor McCoy. You see, I'm not an MD. I'm a Psychiatrist." Nat walked over to her bed. "How could something like this happen? Logan told me she was attacked, what I want to know is why?"

"There is no easy answer to your question. I assume you are aware of the nature of this school?"

"Of course. It was one of the first things that Janet told me when she explained her new job. This is a school for mutants. You provide an education for the students and help them deal with their abilities"

"Certainly that is true," Hank nodded, fiddling with his clipboard. "Those are important things. Some of us may even consider them to be our main mission. I however do not. In my view this place is a haven, where a young person can learn how to live a normal life, to be treated with the dignity, respect, and love that many of them have not known before they arrived here. It is a place where they can be healed of the anger that often festers in their hearts because of what was done to them."

From behind she heard a derisive short and didn't have to turn her head to know who it was. "Can't make stuff like that go away Hank. All ya can do is bury it deep, and hope ta hell it never comes out."

"Perhaps. Some of our students will never be free of it and that saddens me more then I can say. But still, if one cannot let go, one **must and can** learn to live with it. To move beyond what others have done to them instead of letting it rule their lives. And that is why some of our people consider this place to be so dangerous."

"What do you mean by your people," she asked quietly.

"He means other mutants. They call themselves the Brotherhood," Logan growled. "Don't want mutants gettin along with normals. They're lookin ta start a war and they don't care what they have ta do ta see it happen." He had made his way over to stand beside Janet. She was struck by the change in his expression. Where before it was hard, now it was less grim, a little more open. Nat could definitely see the attraction now. He was a damn fine looking man she decided, when he didn't look like he was about to bite your head off.

"A war," Nat muttered, lost in her own thoughts. This place offered a chance at reconciliation, but one that many (both human and mutant) rejected. "There are more people then you might think who are willing to accept mutants, who sympathize with your desire to be treated fairly. But I can't see how the kind of violence you're talking about does anything but play into the hands of those who claim that you are a danger to the rest of us."

"You outta be writing Chucks speeches," Logan spat out. His expression had hardened again. In fact no feeling at all seemed to register on his face. "We don't need your fucking sympathy. You might want ta take a look around and see how far it's gotten the kids here ta have people like you feelin sorry for em."

Nat took a deep breath, biting back her angry retort. "I guess I'm pretty clueless about all this. Hank, Logan, I want to understand, I really need to. Janet is the best friend I have and if she thinks it's important then so do I. Maybe it would be better to just start over. Hank what can you tell me about this place?"

Logan decided that was his cue to take a walk. Spotting Allerdyce's Zippo on a counter he pocketed it, and started for the door. "I got some stuff I need ta do Hank. Sides yer a lot better at this crap then I am. Ya want ta let me know when Janet wakes up?"

"Of course Logan."

Logan just nodded to Nat, and she couldn't help but shiver at the uncanny gleam in his eye. The man appeared normal enough, but seemed stranger to her then the enormous blue furred Hank McCoy. She almost sighed in relief when he left the room.

"Logan can be rather…intense," Hank stated. "Especially with people he doesn't know."

"Or trust," she murmured.

"Yes. Certainly it would help if he knew you better. But today's events have upset him greatly."

"Something I don't understand Hank. If these Brotherhood people were after him why did they attack Janet? Why didn't they go after him?"

"They did," he said, looking to her mind very uncomfortable with the change of subject.

"Well I don't see how that could be Hank Not with Janet lying in that bed, while he doesn't have a mark on him. The only reason that I can come up with for that is that he got away and they took it out on her."

Anger welled up within him. The woman didn't know Logan, didn't know any of them except Janet. He hated the easy assumption she made about someone he was beginning to consider a close friend. Not for the first time he wondered if they would ever understand what it was like to be so different.

"Doctor Bannerman," he said in a clipped tone, "you really should not speculate on things that you know nothing about."

Nat recognized the anger in his voice, but right at the moment she didn't care. "What am I supposed to think? My friend as been hurt by people you both told me were **his **enemies and he's fine. How the hell did that happen **Doctor **McCoy?"

"You have stated that you are aware that this is a school for mutants. Are you also aware of the fact that everyone at this school with the exception of Janet and of course yourself is a mutant?

"You mean Logan is…oh. So you're telling me that his mutation somehow protected him?"

"Not exactly." Hank walked over to the trash receptacle located in a corner of the room. Reaching inside, he plucked out the shirt that Logan had been wearing when he had first returned. It was torn and shredded, covered with the blood that both he and Creed had spilled during their fight. He held it before him so that she could see it.

"Oh God," she moaned feeling slightly nauseated at the sight of it. "What happened Hank? Did they attack someone else?"

"No **Doctor **Bannerman," he stated. Hank couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction that her dismay elicited. "There was one other person, one of our students, who did become involved. We are of course very thankful that she suffered only a superficial injury. This was the shirt Logan was wearing when Janet and he were attacked. So you see, when you are dealing with mutants, it is never wise to go on appearances. Is it **Doctor **Bannerman?"

"I don't understand," she whispered, having trouble getting her head around what he was telling her. "How could he be up and walking around?"

Hank's cat-like eyes held her own for a few long moments. "You understand that information about a person's mutation is private, and that I am only sharing this with you because of your friendship with Janet?" At her nod he went on. "Logan's body is able to heal itself from any trama, no matter how grievous. The injuries he suffered this morning would in all probability have killed a normal person."

She surprised him. She walked right up to him and took the shirt from his hands. After looking at it for several seconds, Nat dropped it back into the waste container, suppressing a shudder. "You're right Doctor McCoy. I apologize. I should know better then to go by appearances. I usually don't. I have no excuse other then being upset about what happened to Janet."

"I assure you that all of us feel the same way. I have only known Janet for a brief time and already I consider her a close friend."

"Hank can we start over. Tell me what ever you can about this place. Whatever you're comfortable with. And Hank…please call me Nat."

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When he woke up, arm in a sling, nose packed with gauze, the first thing Saint John Allerdyce felt was relief. The decor and paint job told him he was at Xavier's. There was even a school sweat-shirt draped over a chair by the desk. That relief quickly changed to anger when he observed something odd about the door. No doorknob. After a few minutes of pounding on it he had calmed down enough to take a closer look at the room. Of course they had taken his lighter. He also noticed that all the furniture was anchored in place, and that it was made of non-flammable materials. It began to dawn on him that they had been preparing for his return for quite a while. More out of boredom then anything else, he kicked the door a few times, but on this occasion he got a response. A disembodied voice sounded from speakers mounted on the ceiling. It was Peter's.

"Glad to hear you are finally awake my friend."

"Fuck you Pete. You gonna let me out of this cage?

"That is not for me to decide John. Professor Xavier will see you when he returns. Until then, please just try to relax. I am sure that this will only be a temporary measure."

"I'm done with Xavier. I ain't gonna kiss his ass just to get out of here. Besides I won't have to. The boss will come for me and when he does you'll all be fucking sorry."

"Perhaps so. But do you not think it is rather foolish of you to blame us for your predicament? Was it not you who attacked us?"

"You got no right to lock me up like this. You ain't the police."

"Would you rather we turned you over to them? Is that what you want John?"

"WHAT I WANT IS FOR YOU TO LET ME OUT OF THIS FUCKING PLACE!"

No answer. Angry as he was John was also afraid. Afraid of staying here, afraid of going back. Terrified that Xavier might just decide to hand him over to the authorities. To the humans. Walking listlessly back to the bed he slumped down on it, wondering how long he'd have to wait. As it turned out it was only a few minutes. But when the door slid noiselessly back, it wasn't Xavier on the other side.

"Long time no see kid," Logan's voice was deceptively calm, almost conversational.

"What are you doin here? I want ta see Xavier."

"Ain't what I just heard." Logan looked over his shoulder at Peter. "Go get somethin ta eat Pete. And take yer time." He step inside and the door slid shut.

Logan stood just inside the door, his eyes boring into John's. After a few seconds Allerdyce looked away. Logan sniffed the air once and smiled. "What's wrong kid. You worried about somethin?"

"What do you want?"

"You know what I want kid."

"I don't have to say anything to you. I wanna see Xavier."

"Tough shit. Yer gonna tell me what the fuck Mags wanted ta talk ta me about. We can do this easy, ya can just tell me. Or we can do it hard. You're choice."

"You asshole. If I had my lighter…"

Pulling the Zippo out of his pocket, Logan tossed it on the bed.

John began to reach for it when he heard a sound that made his skin crawl. SNICK! Three claws shot out of Logan's right hand. "Go ahead," Logan purred, "take it Pyro. I'll even give ya a free shot. Come on ya little shit, either pick it up or start talkin."

Very slowly John's hand eased back from the lighter. He looked at Logan, who nodded abruptly and retracted his claws. "What the fuck is Mags up ta."

I don't know," he said, a little surprised at how even his voice was. "He didn't tell me jack. I heard Mystique say something about him wanting to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer."

"He has information. Some stuff he was sure you'd want to know."

"What stuff?"

"I told you, he didn't tell me anything. That's all I got man."

Logan sniffed the air briefly. "Ok kid. One more thing. Where were you and yer Brotherhood buddies hangin out?"

"We were holed up in a big house just outside a shit town in northern New York. It was called Alburg, just south of the Canadian border. But the boss was never there."

"Who was?"

"Me, Mystique and Jana. Some dude that called himself Avalanche. Toad showed up twice. Couple of other people came a few times, but they just talked to her and left."

Logan stalked over to the desk, opening and closing drawers until he found what he was looking for. His back was turned to Pyro for perhaps ten seconds. John briefly considered making a grab for the lighter, but decided that wouldn't be his brightest idea. Logan tossed him a pen and a pad of paper, then glanced at the lighter before meeting Pyro's eyes.

"Yer smarter then I thought kid. Write down the address." Logan took back the lighter and tore the sheet with the address on it off and shoved it into his pocket.

"No one's gonna be there. We weren't going back there after…"

"Gotta start some where," Logan grunted, heading toward the door.

"What, no threats to beat me up or kill me if I'm not a good little mutant?"

"I don't do threats Pyro. Don't see no need to beat on you. Jubes already took care of that. As for the killing part, don't have to worry about it. I'm pretty sure you'll be takin care of that on your own."

"What the fuck are you talkin about man?"

"Ya said it yourself, yer done here. Chuck ain't gonna keep ya locked up forever, ain't his style. So sooner or later yer gonna take a hike. Where do ya think yer gonna go?"

"Where I was before," John said. "I'm through with this place. Xavier's out of his fucking mind if he thinks the humans will ever accept us."

"So you just gonna stroll right outta here, just walk through the front gate. How many yards you think you're gonna make?"

"What, you gonna stop me? Xavier wouldn't be happy."

"I'm gonna be doin a lot of stuff that Chuck won't appreciate. So odds are I won't even be here. Sides, I won't have ta do a damned thing."

"Then who's going to asshole?"

"Who do ya think kid? Who do ya think's watchin this place twenty-four seven? Who do ya think remembers what ya did at Drake's house and knows who ya been workin for the last few months?"

"They can't stop me," he sneered, but Logan could tell by the scent of fear that it was just talk.

"You just keep tellin yourself that kid. Just walk out that gate and see how far ya get before they put a bullet in yer brain." At the look of shock on John's face it was Logan's turn to sneer. "What, you think there gonna sent cops to arrest ya after what you done? They don't play by any rules but their own."

Before Saint John could reply the door slid open to reveal Cyclops, with Peter and Ororo standing behind him. Scott's fury was quickly replaced with confusion at Pyro's condition after what Peter had told him was ten minutes alone with Logan.

"Don't ya know yer supposed to knock first Cyke?"

"Cut the crap Logan. What the hell are you doing here?"

"The kid and me were having a little talk."

"You see Mr. Summers," Peter rumbled. "Did I not tell you there was nothing to fear?"

"Damn it Peter, how could you leave John alone in a room with…"

"He promised me he would do John no harm. Should I not believe him?"

"Peter, you know what he's capable of. I don't care what he promised, you shouldn't have allowed him to get any where near John. If you want to be on the team you're going to have to learn how to follow orders."

Peter peered down at Scott, disapproval clearly written on his stern features. "Yes, I do know of what he is capable. I also know that whatever he has told me he would do, that he has done. Never has he lied to me in any way. When he promised me that he would not harm John, it never occurred to me not to believe him. Logan is an X-Man, yes? If this is so why do you not trust him?"

Pyro jumped to his feet, suddenly understanding what Peter had just said. "You promised him," he screamed at Logan. "You fucking asshole!"

"That's the third time you called me that kid. Do it again and yer gonna need a dental plan. Come on Summers, we got a little trip ta make."

"What are you talking about Logan? If you think I'm going to just ignore this you have another thing coming."

"Stop bein a dick Cyke. Pyro here gave up the place him and his buddies was at before they came here. Now I'd like ta get there as fast as I can, so that means flyin the damn plane. But I'll go alone if I have ta.

Scott took a few deep breaths trying to calm himself. "What's the rush?"

"There's probably nothin there, but I'm thinkin they might have left somethin for me ta smell out. Pyro said there was mutants there he didn't know. Like ta have their scents. The longer we take, the tougher that's gonna be."

"Ok, we'll go. Meet me in the hanger in thirty minutes." He walked away, leaving the others standing around in awkward silence, which Ororo finally broke.

"I'm sorry Logan. We have know you long enough to trust you. I should have told Scott that Peter was right, we had nothing to be concerned over."

"It's alright darlin. Hell, sometimes I don't trust myself. You taken Allerdyce ta see Xavier?" When she nodded Logan turned his gaze on the sullen young mutant. "Be smart kid." Then he was off to the elevator. There was one more person he needed to see before he left.

Marie was drying her hair when she was startled by someone thumping on her door. Feeling a little edgy dressed as she was in only a terry cloth robe she cracked it open, relaxing when she saw who was there. "What do ya need sugah?"

"Lookin for yer roomy. She around?"

Marie's smiled quickly turned into a frown. "Ah haven't seen her since before dinner. She spent the afternoon nappin in her bed and she was still sleepin when Bobby came ta get me. She was gone when Ah got back. What the hell happen ta her Logan?"

"Shit. She didn't tell ya?"

"Wouldn't say nothin ta me about it. Hardly talked at all." Marie stepped back, opening the door so Logan could come in. "What happened out there?"

Logan stepped inside, leaning against the wall by the door head down, rubbing his forehead. Rogue sat on her bed, waiting for his answer. "Anyone at all fill you in about this morning?"

"Ah know you and Janet got ambushed by Creed and Mystique. She got hurt and you…well ya got better. Hank filled us in, told me and Bobby that Janet was gonna be alright. But that's about it. No one's been around here all afternoon, what with the Professor and Scott goin ta talk ta the police and Ororo spendin time with that girl you brought back."

"They had us Marie, they had me dead ta rights. Mystique put me down. Yer roomy saved my ass and she saved Janet's too." In a low, quiet voice he told her everything that happened, or at least as much as he knew.

"Oh mah God," she murmured when he was done. Then she gave him a very pointed look. "Ah'm just guessin that you didn't bother ta have Hank look at ya."

"Marie…"

"Don't give me that crap Logan. They used a fuckin grenade on ya!" Her eyes narrowed, exasperation giving way to suspicion. "Did ya even bother ta let Hank know about that little detail?"

"Marie, I'm fine."

"Damn it Logan, Ah wish you'd take better care of yourself."

"Alright darlin, take it easy will ya," he groaned, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I'll let Blue take a look at me when we get back."

"Get back from where?"

"You know they got Allerdyce locked up down stairs?"

She giggled, slapping the bed. "Ah sure do. And Ah know who kicked his ass too. Hank told us all about it."

"She done good," he said. Was that a little bit of pride she heard? She thought it was.

"You need ta say that ta Jubes Logan. So what did ya learn from John that's got ya so fired up to take off? Ah though ya wanted ta stick around for a while, least ways till Janet wakes up."

In spite of himself Logan chuckled. "Ain't possible ta keep any thing a secret in this place, is it? He told us where they was holed up before they came here. Cyke and me are gonna check it out."

"Logan, what if it's a trap," she asked, the worry evident in her voice. "Maybe ya should wait."

"Not a chance Marie," he barked, struggling to reign in the anger that had gnawed at him all day. It wasn't her fault, and he didn't want to take out his frustration on her. "Sorry kid, I guess I'm a little on edge, what with all the shit that's happened today. I ain't fit company right now."

"It all right sugah, Ah think Ah understand. Yer mad cause a what those assholes did ta Janet. Ah am too, for both of ya."

He looked at her like he wasn't sure how to respond to that. She was angry because someone had hurt him. Usually he didn't give what happened to him a second thought, and right now he wondered why that was. If Marie thought it was important, maybe he should too. But instead he went with the obvious.

"Being mad ain't enough kid, least ways for me. Ain't gonna give him another chance ta hurt her or you. Chucks likes ta play by the rules, but I don't give a shit. I'm gonna find em and take em out any way I can."

"Ah need ya here Logan," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "Ya want ta protect me, fine; Ah want that to. But ya can't do that if yer not here."

"What the hell you talkin about," he said, scowling at her. "I ain't leavin you kid. If I was gonna I'd let you know."

"Don't bullshit me Logan. You bitch at Mr. Summers for treatin us like kids, and here you are doin exactly the same thing. Don't talk ta me like Ah'm stupid."

"I gotta do this Marie. It's the only way I know ta keep ya safe."

"Ah'm safe when you're here," she said shakily, and he had to look away from the tears in her eyes. "Ah found a new family here Logan, but Ah need ya ta be a part of it more then Ah need ya ta protect me."

"I'm sorry Marie," he said, willing her to understand, "but I can't let this go." He slipped out her door and went to find Cyclops, the echoes of her words ringing in his ears.

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They said nothing to each other during the short flight. Scott was wrapped up in piloting the plane, while Logan sat rigid in his seat, trying to keep his mind off the fact that they were flying. As they approached the area Scott called up a map which displayed their target's location in the form of a three dimensional typographic map. The house was a few miles west of town, surrounded by woods and farmer's fields. Scott landed the plane a mile away, by a tumbled down barn.

Uncurling his fingers from their death grip of his chair's arm rests, Logan studied the map while Scott gathered his equipment. He had to admit, Cyclops had put them down in an ideal position. The woods started less then fifty yards from the plane, spreading out to the north and east from their location and extending for a good mile past their target. That meant they could follow the tree line, using it for cover during their approach. With the barn between them and the house, the Black Bird wouldn't be spotted even if someone in there had night vision equipment. As he turned from the display, Scott tossed him his uniform. In less then a minute he was zipping it up. Looking at Logan's bare feet Scott couldn't help but shake his head.

They stayed just inside the trees with Logan in the lead. Scott was amazed at how quietly the man could move. Every few minutes he would stop, close his eyes briefly, and sniff the air. After twenty minutes the house loomed, a black shape barely discernable in the darkness surrounding them. Logan jerked his head and started forward, stopping when he felt Summers hand on his shoulder.

"Remember," Scott whispered, "if anyone's in there we need prisoners, not bodies."

Logan growled low, and then shot toward the house, Scott following on his heals. Both men paused by a row of overgrown bushes, taking a few moments to study their target more closely. The house was completely dark, no light visible from any of the windows. It had a rundown quality from what they could see of it and Scott had no doubt that by the light of day they would notice peeling paint and a bad roof.. Breaking cover, they crept toward stairs that lead them up to an enormous porch that stretched out around both sides of the building. As he reached the top step Logan froze, his left hand shooting out to restrain his partner. Scott turned and started to open his mouth, but Logan shook his head and leaned in close so he could whisper in his ear.

"Got a whiff of Mags. He was here. Not more then a couple of hours ago." Logan closed his eyes, inhaled through his nose and recoiled almost stumbling backward down the stairs. "Motherfuckers," he hissed, has his gloved hands came up rubbing his eyes furiously.

"What's the hell," Scott murmured, alarmed at Logan's reaction. "What's wrong?"

"Someone dumped a shit load of bleach inside the house. I can't smell a fucking thing right now." He paused, turning his head this way and that, then looked at Scott. They were close enough that even in the darkness Scott could see the raw irritation in his eyes. "The scent was old, couple of hours at least. I don't hear nothin but that's no guarantee."

Scott nodded reaching for the door knob. It turned easily. He paused, as still as stone, while Logan listened. A slight shake of his head and then, before Scott could start to push the door open, Logan grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What are you doing Logan," Scott asked softly.

"Let me go in first. If he's here, I can draw him out; give you a free shot."

"No Logan. What if I can't see you? How the hell…"

"If you can't see me then bring the fucking house down. I'll live." Before Scott could object Logan pushed past him and through the door.

The stench from the bleach left him light headed and he pause to recover and to let his eyes adjust to the blackness. Someone had covered the windows, and for a few seconds he couldn't see anything. Then vague shapes that seemed to stand out in the pitch-black nothingness. With agonizing slowness he moved. After several steps he paused. Something in front of him. His hand brushed fabric. A piece of furniture. Sidestepping to his right he moved further in, brushing against a table and feeling for another chair. Finally across the room to the opposite wall. He slid along it till he found a door. With slight pressure it swung inward.

He took an experimental sniff. While his nose felt like it was burning, he also noticed that his sense of smell was adjusting. There was something besides the bleach, very faint, almost beyond his ability to detect. There. The only other scent besides the smell of the bleach and the stench of rotting garbage was Lenscherr's. Just like outside, it was at least a couple of hours old. Cursing he used his mike to call Scott.

"Get in here Summers. He's long gone."

"How can you be sure," came the crisp reply.

"Getting used to the stink. He stuck around for a while after he used this shit ta mask any scents from before. Long enough so I'd be able ta smell him out even over the bleach."

He heard Scott take a couple of steps, then a muffled thump followed by a few choice words. After a few seconds blinding light filled the room. "You could've said somethin Summers," Logan barked, squinting at his team mate.

"Sorry man," Scott mumbled, slightly embarrassed at his carelessness. As his eyes swept the room he grimaced in distaste at the squalid surroundings the light revealed. Half empty glasses, dirty clothes, and crumpled papers littered the room, along with a thick coating of dust. The kitchen was even worse, with dirty dishes piled in the sink and several containers overflowing with garbage that he could clearly smell, even over the stench of the bleach. He couldn't imagine how Logan could stand this. "Why don't you take a look upstairs," Scott offered as he began to paw through some of the debris. The man just grunted, but Scott wasn't surprised at how fast he moved to follow his suggestion.

Fifteen minutes later Scott was staring darkly at the last container, the one filled with rotting scraps of food and other things he'd rather not think about, when Logan ducked his head into the room.

"Damn it Cyke, let's just bag that stuff and take it with us. If I don't get out of this shit hole soon my fucking nose is gonna fall off."

"Find anything?"

"Yeah I did. I found out that these assholes liked cleaning the damn bathroom even less then they did the kitchen. Nothing but trash and more bleach."

"Ok," Scott sighed. Even though he hadn't really had much hope in finding something, it was disappointing. "There's one more room we need to check out. Give me a hand with this and we can take a look on the way out." Ten minutes later, their shiny leather uniforms coated with bits of rotten food and noxious liquids, they exited the kitchen, each carrying a plastic garbage sack slung over their back.

It was like a den, a cozy little room with a fire place, just off the great room that Logan had crept though when he first entered the house. As soon as Scott switched on the lights, they noticed a difference. Unlike the rest of the house it was neat and tidy. There was still lots of dust, but apparently someone had gathered up everything combustible and burned it in the fireplace. Scott heard Logan inhale deeply and turned to ask him if he'd found anything. At the look of pure hatred he saw on his face the question went unspoken.

"The old bastard was here," he growled. "For at least a couple of hours."

Logan walked stiffly over to a worn leather chair at the far corner of the room. There was a book, lying face down, partially concealed by a threadbare quilt. Joining Logan, Scott reached down and pulled the fabric back to reveal a cell phone. Crouching to bring his face to within a couple of inched of the device, Logan took an experimental sniff and then snapped it up. Flipping it open, he glared at the device like he was expecting it to bite him. When it started to ring he nearly dropped it. He had a pretty good idea who was on the other end of the call. Growling softly, he pressed the talk button.

"What the fuck do you want bucket-head?"

"Charming as ever Wolverine," answered the smooth, slightly accented voice of Eric Lenscherr. "What I want is to make you an offer."

"I ain't interested Lenscherr," Logan barked, fighting the sudden urge to smash the phone he was holding. "Unless yer offering ta cut yer own throat, you ain't got nothin I want ta hear."

"Oh I don't know about that Wolverine. Or would you prefer James. You see, I believe I have devised a process that will restore your memory."


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thanks to everyone reading this and especially those of you who let me know what you think. **

Scott heard a sharp hiss, the sound of Logan's straggled gasp. "What are you sayin?"

"I thought you were the one with superlative hearing," replied the affable voice of Eric Lenscherr.

"That name," Logan spat out, "how the fuck do you know that name?"

"What," came the easy response, dripping sympathetic concern, "you mean Charles hasn't told you? I fear my dear Wolverine, that perhaps my old friend has not been entirely honest with you. How would one explain his failure to give you such a vital piece of information…"

"Just tell me," Logan cut him off sharply, "how the fuck you know about James Howlett."

"As I said," came the reply, not quite so friendly as before, "this is information that Charles possesses. You really should ask him."

"I'm askin you Lenscherr."

"You did some work for us. For Charles and I, when we were still…together. There really only was one incident that I was involved with. You didn't actually use your real name, but of course Charles always had a talent for finding things out. I do believe that he made use of your services on several other occasions that I was not entirely aware of."

"Son of a fucking bitch." In a way Logan wasn't really surprised. He had suspected that on some level Xavier was holding out on him. That he had information he wasn't willing to share. But this? "So you sent those shits ta try and grab me just so ya could tell me this?"

"Hardly," Magneto sniffed, "I am merely trying to give you some small evidence of my good will. And the sincerity of my offer."

"You got a funny fuckin way of showin it."

"I suppose I do owe you an apology for that…incident. However, I must tell you that I did give Mystique strict orders that you were to be taken with a minimum of violence. She assured me that this would be the case. Still, I do understand how what has happened might have fostered a certain degree of…mistrust between us."

"Still blamin everyone else for your shit, ain't ya Lenscherr? You actually expect me ta believe the spiel yer handin out? Why don't ya try again?"

"Perhaps you should consider how simple it would be for me to take you by force, if that was what I truly desired. All this is really beside the point. My offer is genuine whether you choose to believe it or not. If you no longer wish to remember your past, I see no reason to continue our conversation." The voice had grown less pleasant, the tone more chilly.

While he didn't really believe the man had any intention of helping him he had to admit he was curious. Besides, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. "You already know the answer ta that. If ya didn't we wouldn't be talkin. What I wanna know is why you think helpin someone who wants ta kill ya is a good idea?"

"You surprise me Wolverine," Eric replied, the humor back. So he thought it was funny Logan mused, storing that away for the day he would finish him. "I would have thought the how would be of greater interest to you."

"Not for me it ain't. Why Lenscherr?"

Silence. It stretched out until Logan was nearly convinced that he'd get no answer to his question. "Because you shouldn't be there," came the reply at last, in a low quiet voice. "You shouldn't be helping him protect them after what they have done to you. While I will not pretend that I knew you well, you were not the kind of man who would have let such a thing pass. Of that I am sure."

Logan wanted to laugh in the old man's face (actually his ear). He still wasn't real sure about his reasons for staying at Xavier's, but protecting the human race from mutants wasn't one of them. What made him twitchy were the reasons he had. Glancing at Summers, Logan realized he needed to end their little talk, at least for now. He had no idea what kind of game Magneto was playing and he didn't really care. Without this he'd have to spend a long time finding out where Lenscherr was, setting things up just right. Now all he had to do was set the hook. But not too hard.

"Ya sound pretty damn sure about a lot of stuff Lenscherr. Why the hell should I believe a word you say?"

"No reason really. In fact I will admit I have given you good cause to disregard what I am telling you. But if you want your life back, can you really afford to ignore my offer?"

"No I can't," he said softly, hoping like hell he sounded convincing. "But like ya said, I got no reason to trust ya."

"Then evidence you shall have. At least of my ability to do what I say. The rest is up to you."

"What kinda evidence," he bit out, taken aback at Magneto's willingness to actually provide him with proof that it wasn't some red herring. "What are ya talking about?"

"I am serious. If I were merely attempting to seize you I wouldn't have to go to all this trouble. I could do it the next time you went out for cigars."

"Ok Lenscherr, enough bullshit…what evidence?"

"When we were at Alkali Lake, I instructed Mystique to copy any files that would be of interest while she was within the confines of Stryker's control room. Most of them were personal dossiers of mutants Mr. Stryker had information about. One of those was of one Yuriko Oyama. I had thought to discard that, seeing as she is no longer among the living. However I have always been thorough in my habits and so I took the time to read it carefully. Buried in all the military techno-babble was the method Stryker used to erase her memory. Not coincidentally, it was the same technique he used on you."

"What a fucking bastard!"

"Indeed. I will send you the documentation. All I ask is the Charles not know of this. Show it to Henry if you need a second opinion. He has always been good at keeping secrets."

"So that's it. Yer just given this ta me, no strings attached?"

"My dear Wolverine," came the chuckling reply, "there are strings to everything. You just have to avoid being ensnared by them." With that parting remark the connection was broken, leaving Logan wondering just who was taking the bait. At the start he had played along, thinking of how much easier this would make it to get rid of the old man once and for all. Now he had to wonder. If Lenscherr did have a way to restore his memory, what would he do?

"Logan," Scott's angry voice interrupted, "what was that all about?" What did Lenscherr want?"

"Come on Summers, lets get the hell out of this dump. Here," he said flipping the now useless phone at Scott, who caught it deftly. "Add that one ta yer collection."

"Hold on Logan," Scott warned, feeling angry and confused. "You just can't walk away like this. What did he say to you?"

"You can stay here if ya want one-eye. I'm getting my ass outta here." With that Logan turned and walked away, leaving Scott standing there, eyes darting from the phone in his hand to the feral man striding out the front door.

The two men trudged back to the plane, Scott fuming in silence while Logan was lost in thought. His instincts told him that Magneto was just using his weakness to lure him into some kind of trap. It's the only thing that made sense. Only it didn't. There were easier ways to do that. After all it wasn't like Lenscherr would have much of a problem doing what ever the hell he wanted with him. Then why the song and dance about fixing his memory? The more he thought about it, the more it bothered him. When they entered the jet Logan knew he had to tell Summers something. He decided that given the situation, half the truth would be appropriate. So when they finished stowing the pathetic excuse for information contained in the garbage bags, Logan held up his hand before Scott could escape to the pilot's seat.

"What do you want Logan," Scott asked in a clipped voice and Logan stifled the urge to tell him that he had no fucking idea. Instead, he mechanically recounted what Magneto had told him concerning the past history that he, Lenscherr, and Xavier supposedly had. When he was finished, Cyclops looked skeptical.

"I don't know Logan. I can't imagine why…I guess it doesn't add up. If the Professor knew you from before, why wouldn't he tell you?"

"You tell me Cyke. You know the guy a lot better then I do."

"Magneto's lying. That's the only answer that makes any kind of sense."

"Don't think so. He knows damn well I'll find out as soon as I ask Chuck."

"Really," Scott snapped bitterly, "how the hell do you think you can get the truth out of the world's most powerful telepath if he doesn't want to tell you."

"Just figured on askin him," Logan drawled a little surprised at the other man's sudden outburst. "If he lies ta me, I'll know. If he won't talk, it'll be the same thing. What's the deal Cyke? You sound like you think there's somethin ta what Lenscherr is sayin."

Scott turned away, as if he didn't want to look the other man in the eye. "I don't know. It's just that…well some of the things Charles has done…"

"Just tell me damn it," the other man snarled. "If you gotta reason ta think Chuck is up ta something, I want ta hear it."

"You're the damn reason Logan! When the Professor allows a man with the kind of problems you have to not only stay at the school, but to also teach our senior students how to fight and maybe even to kill like he does? I'm sure to you it's all perfectly normal, but that's not how we used to do things around here."

Most of this wasn't a surprise to him. Logan knew that Scott resented the changes that were taking place at the school. How could he not when the biggest one was the death of the woman he loved. He even had a pretty good idea of why Xavier wanted him to stick around. However, there was one thing that Summers had said that irked him.

"Problems? What are you talkin about Summers?"

"Jesus Christ! Are you serious? You were…I walk in to find you with those damn blades buried to the knuckle in the floor. You were catatonic! You acted like Janet and I weren't even there. What if you'd been in the middle of self-defense class? Or on a mission?"

Logan didn't really want to talk about this. When he'd been on his own it was so easy for him to just not think about things. But it seemed what when you let other people in, ignoring things wasn't as simple.

"We ain't talkin about me Summers. This has got nothin ta do with Xavier holdin out on me."

"Of course it does," Scott sneered at him. "The Professor wants you around. For whatever reason he's decided that you're the indispensable mutant right now. He's not going to do or say anything that might drive you away."

"And that just sticks in yer craw, don't it."

"Fuck off Logan. I don't care what you think, this isn't about our pissing contests. You need help damn it. You can't deal with the kind of stuff that's happened to you on your own. And you need someone to tell you the truth. Charles isn't about to give you either one, not if he thinks it might make you…less useful."

The thing of it was, as far as Logan could tell Summers smelled sincere. Shit, he thought, am I that pathetic that even he feels sorry for me. "I've been dealin with this for fifteen years Summers. As for Xavier tellin me the truth, him and me are gonna have a talk about that."

"Doesn't sound like you're dealing with it Logan. Just pretending it isn't there. Well I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to pretend that you're all right and I'm not going to ignore what I saw. I'll let you in on little secret, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder just doesn't go away. Think about it Logan, fifteen years, just like you said. Has anything really changed?"

"Yeah it has," came the muttered reply, "it's gotten worse." Logan's head slumped forward, both large hands rubbing the back of his head. Then suddenly, his head shot back up, the look of pain abruptly replaced with anger. "You been talkin ta Phillips, ain't ya?"

Though he had no reason to, Scott felt a vague sense of guilt. "Yes I have. She was worried about what happened. You can't expect people to just ignore…"

"I can expect em ta mind their own damn business Summers. We're done talkin."

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_It always started with the gun. The first time she had ever seen a real one was on the day her father was killed. Her memories of that night were disjoined, like a movie that was out of focus, the images blurred and confused. But in her dreams she remembers every detail with a painful clarity. Ron, her sister's ex-husband screaming obscenities, waving the gun wildly in the air. Her father, a gentle, slightly over weight engineer, who'd never in his life lifted a hand in anger, desperately tackling the much larger man. As they rolled around on the floor, their grunts drowned out by screams of her mother and sister, she was strangely quiet, just like that day over twenty years ago when she had witnessed everything from the top of the stairs. Then it was pure shock and the firm belief that none of this could be real. But in the dream it was because she'd seen it all before and she knew that nothing could alter what had already happened so long ago. The gun shot was always a shock, the sight of her father slumped dead on the beige carpet always broke her heart. But this time something was different. This time when she screamed and Ron raised his head to look at her, the face he wore was Logan's._

Janet woke abruptly, bolting upright. The pain shooting through her injured side, along with the after effects of her dream left her feeling vaguely nauseous. She remained still, and after a few minutes her stomach returned more or less to normal, the pain reduced to a dull ache. Moving carefully, she slowly shifted her legs until her feet found the floor. Reaching for the pills that Hank had left on her night stand, Janet slowly shuffled to the bathroom for some water. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror she almost dropped the pills. The right side of her face was swollen, the bruises a sickly greenish blue. After downing the medicine, she gingerly settled back into bed, waiting for it to take effect.

It had been months since she'd last had that dream. Before she'd come to the school, before she'd known Logan. Janet shuddered at the memory of the last fleeting glimpse of his face staring back at her. God she thought, Nat would have a field day with this. Last night, after the pain killers had worn off, Nat had grilled her about what had happened. And about Logan. While she'd been willing to talk about the attack in general terms, she pleaded exhaustion when Nat had asked for details.

The truth was Janet hadn't really wanted to think about what she had happened in that meadow. At the time it had been horrifying enough, but things had happened so fast that she didn't have time to dwell on what she'd seen. But now, sight of Logan fighting that horrible man, the sounds he had made, the expression on his face. She could see them every time she closed her eyes. Objectively she had understood this part of him, or at least she thought she had. Now she was beginning to wonder how much she really knew about the man she thought she was falling in love with.

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Jubilation Lee looked at the clock and groaned. The numbers read 5:48, as in A.M. Rolling over she checked on Rogue, and was grateful that her friend was finally sleeping. It had taken half the night for her to finally get Marie calmed down, as she was having Wolvie abandonment issues again. Not for the first time, she wondered if part of the whole feral mutation package was a talent for being an insensitive jerk. Funny thing was, that was one of the things she liked about him. Logan told you what he was going to do and didn't really care if you were happy with what you heard. As far as she was concerned too many people around Xavier's were far too polite for her taste. The problem with brutal honesty was, sometimes you hurt people you cared about. Or in this case, someone they both cared about. Even though Ororo had told them that training was canceled for the day, she knew where he'd be. Besides, how could she miss a chance to spend some quality time telling Logan what an asshole he was.

Damn it, she realized, he's doing Tai Chi. In running shorts. All thoughts of reading him the riot act gone, she focused instead on enjoying this prime opportunity to perv on Logan. It was a warm spring morning and judging from the sweat he had worked up, she guessed he'd already been out there for a while. As he moved through his form, Jubilee just zoned out, enjoying the sight of his body flowing through the postures. While she appreciated his grace and skill, her favorite parts were in the details. Like the way his muscles moved beneath his perfect skin, or the view she had of his incredible chest when he began the squatting single whip. Then there was the sweat that trickled down his chest, running down his flat stomach into the waist band of his shorts. God, she so wanted to lick it off. As his arms crossed at his throat and moved down his body to rest at his side she gave herself a little shake.

"What ya doin out here Jubes? We ain't trainin today."

Shit, she tried to say something, but she couldn't make her mouth work. "Um…yeah, Ororo told me."

"Didn't think ya liked getting up, much less the runnin part. Come on kid, let's go."

As he turned to head off onto the course she suddenly remembered why she was out there. "Wolvie, I got a bone ta pick with you."

"Right," he smirked. "Runnin first, then ya can let me have it." Then he was off at full speed and she had no choice but to follow. Crap she thought, at least the view is pretty good. After a while Logan eased off to a loping graceful stride and Jubilee was able to close the distance until she was beside him.

"Dude," she gasped, "you can be a real asshole, ya know that."

"You just figured this out kid? You want ta run with me, then just shut up and do it."

"I'm not kidding Logan. I was up half the night with Roguey."

"Shit."

"You got that right. As in that was a pretty shitty thing you told her."

"It's the truth Jubes. I…maybe I shoulda told her a different way, maybe I just shoulda said nothin. But that ain't the way it is between us. I figured she had a right ta know."

"Know what Logan? That you think it's worth turning your back on her and the rest of us just so you can get the chance to go ginzu on the Magster. You can't be dumb enough not to know how she feels about you Wolvie. She's made a lot of friends here but for some stupid reason she thinks you're the only family she's got."

"I ain't talkin about this with you kid," Logan rumbled, a low growly warning that Jubilee decided she had better listen to. Besides, she had a pretty good idea that with Logan you had to lose some battles before you won the war.

They ran on in silence through the tall grass of the horse pasture and on into the heavily wooded areas that marked the boundary of Xavier's extensive property. Thinking about the talk he'd had with Marie yesterday, he knew that Jubilee was right. He could have handled things a lot better. Marie did consider him family and he certainly had seen how upset she had become in the past when she thought he might be leaving. Maybe, he thought in disgust, he should try something new, like using his brain before he opened his big mouth. He wondered if he could handle the firecracker's problem any better. As they approach the scene of their confrontation with Mystique and Creed he could smell the spike in her anxiety. By the time they reached the meadow, it had changed to fear. He stopped abruptly, taking her by surprise.

"Uh…why are we stoppin Logan?"

"Why are you scared kid?"

For a brief moment, he thought she would deny it. Then the defiant gleam in her eye vanished and she just looked lost. "Sorry Wolvie," she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself, "I don't fell like a heart to heart right now."

'Damn glad to hear it Jubes," he chuckled, "cause I'd be the wrong person ta go to for that. Come on."

Leading her out into the center of the meadow, he sat cross-legged in the short soft grass. After a brief hesitation she matched his posture, facing him, their knees not quite touching.

"Just relax darlin. Close yer eyes. That's it. Now I want you ta just concentrate on breathin. Inhale, yer lungs fill with air. Now hold it in, then exhale and push it out. Focus yer mind on that. Nothin else matters, just fillin yer lungs and emptyin them again. Over and over, nice and easy."

After a while the sound of his voice receded as she concentrated, her mind intent upon the most basic of all things a human being needs to do. She felt the memory of yesterday drop away and with it the worry that had gnawed at her ever since. She felt the tension leaching from her, the pleasure of being able to relax for the first time since the fight. After a few minutes she opened her eyes, looked at the man across from her and felt her heart thump just a little faster.

Logan's eyes were closed, his head tilted slightly back arms resting loosely palms up on his knees. Jubilees eyes locked on his face. Logan's usual expression, that of someone who had taken a big bite of something sour and wasn't at all happy about it, was gone. The lines of his face were smoothed out and while he wasn't actually smiling, his mouth had given up it's perpetual scowl. Jubilee thought he looked at least ten years younger and for some reason that made her heart ache. When he finally opened his eyes and the scowl returned she had to fight a sudden urge to look away.

"Ya feel better kid?"

"Yeah, I do. You know dude, when that big hairy asshole came at me yesterday, I couldn't remember a single thing you taught me."

"Is that what's bothering ya?"

"Kinda. Plus that fact that I totally froze up, like one of Frosty's ice sculptures. It was ugly Wolvie." Jubilee looked away, not sure she wanted to see his face when she was telling him this. "If Phillips hadn't shoved that bomb throwin thingy into my hands we woulda been cat food."

"Jubes," said in a strong steady voice, "look at me kid." He waited until her head came up, so he could be sure to look her in the eye. "You did good. When ya get inta a fight like that and ya can walk away ya did good. Ya saved my ass and ya protected Janet too. I owe ya for that Jubes. Don't worry too much about freezin up. All this is kinda new to ya, plus you'd be stupid not ta be afraid of Creed."

"That's not…bein scared shitless of him, that's like totally expected. I am kinda pissed about my brain fart, but there's no way that's happenin again."

"Gonna make sure of that. After school's done yer gonna be livin in the Danger Room, you and the rest of yer buddies, till I'm satisfied. So tell me kid, what's really got you rattled?"

"After I blasted him, he got up again. Kinda freaked me out. Only this time I wasn't scared, I was like super pissed. I let him have it Wolvie, fried his ass with everything I had. Turned him into a briquette. If I'd had any juice left I woulda paffed him again. I wanted to kill him Wolvie." The last part was barley a whisper.

"You were in a fight kid. Sometimes ya gotta get down and dirty. That can be pretty damn hard ta just turn off. Don't let it worry ya, but don't forget either."

"Part of me is glad I didn't," she said softly, her face scrunched up in confusion. "But then I start thinking he's still out there, still hurting people. I think about what he would have done if he'd gotten his hands on me. Then I just wish I'd had one more paff left. "

Logan stood up abruptly, then offered a hand so she could pull herself up. "No one wants ta see Creed dead more then I do kid, but I don't want you ta be the one ta do it. Ya don't need that in yer life right now. We better be getting back." Logan set a brutal pace, but because there were only a few miles left to go she managed to keep up. Before she could escape for a shower, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Nice run kid. After yer done with classes go see McCoy. He want's ta work ya out in the Danger Room."

"Damn it Wolvie," she whined, "Storm said we didn't have training today. I was going to the mall."

"Too bad. Hank's developing some exercises for ya, ta help ya figure out better control. One other thing. You and me are gonna be workin on yer concentration. Just like we did today."

"Get real Wolvie. How is breathing with my eyes closed going to help with that?"

"It's meditation Jubes. And that's the simplest level, the one for kids. There's a lot more to it. We'll do it for fifteen minutes, right after we run."

"I don't have time for this…"

"Yer gonna make time. You guys got three weeks till yer done with school. Chuck wants ya ta cut back on trainin till then. We're still gonna run every day, plus ya still gotta do yer time in the weight room. But we're only meeting twice a week ta do drills and spar." The rebellious look that flitted across her face had no effect. "Yer doin this Jubes. If you want on the team ya gotta do somethin ta get better control."

Jubilee opened her mouth to argue, then suddenly closed it. Logan grimaced as her surly expression morphed into one of glee. "Ok Wolvie. I'd have ta be totally stupid to turn down heavy breathing with you. Only thing is, you have ta wear a shirt, cause if ya don't I won't be closing these eyes." Giggling at his warning growl, she quickly ran through the side door and up the stairs to her room.

As he watched her go, Logan couldn't help but wonder if spending that much time with the kid was such a good idea. He was pretty sure that anyone could teach Jubilee about meditation. Maybe Janet would be a better choice. Janet. He really needed to see her. As it was he felt kind of bad leaving her in the medlab, but the opportunity to check out the Brotherhood lair had been too good to pass up. Logan wasn't eager to continue what they'd touched on before she'd drifted off, but he wasn't about to let that stand in his way. First breakfast, then he'd go looking for Janet. As it turned out, he didn't have to look that hard.

Strolling into the school's cafeteria, Logan braced himself for the usual assault that the sounds and smells inflicted on his heightened senses. The first few times he'd come here, he'd only been able to take it for a few minutes. But after a while, his ability to separate himself from all the stimuli had improved to the point where he could pretty much ignore it all. A portion of his brain categorized and catalogued the sensory input, even as he pushed his tray down the serving line and made his choices. Mostly various forms of breakfast meat. As he finished pouring the last cup of coffee (three since he hated going back and forth) her scent registered. His eyes quickly scanned the room until he found the source. Janet, seated at the far end of the dinning room. She wasn't alone. Rogue was sitting across from her, occasionally gesturing as she talked to the older woman. Perfect. He could check up on her (something he really wanted to do) without having to discuss what she had said to him the other last night. Plus he could apologize to Marie.

As he approached a discrete sniff gave him a head's up on their current mood. Marie was angry and from her animated manner he was pretty sure she was talking about what he'd told her last night. Janet on the other hand smelled of pain, fatigue, and anxiety. Inwardly he cursed, realizing that there was no way for him to avoid what lay between them. However, before he could say a thing, almost before he could park his butt on the chair, something changed. It happened the exact moment that both women became aware of his presence. His nose told him that Marie's anger had instantly ratcheted up more then a few notches, but he barely noticed. His whole attention focused on the other scent that blasted into his brain. The one that was coming from Janet. Because when she finally noticed he was about to sit across the table from her, the anxiety he had smelled on her quickly spiked into fear.

He sat there, head slightly titled to one side, looking into her brown eyes. He really shouldn't have been surprised. After what she'd seen yesterday, he knew he couldn't hide what he really was from her. He thought she could handle it, but right now that didn't seem to be the case. It felt like someone had scraped his guts out with a can opener. Logan was so distracted by this sudden turn of events that Marie's angry voice barely registered at first.

"Damn it Logan, are ya even listenin to me?"

Grateful for the distraction, Logan tore his gaze from Janet. "Sorry darlin, didn't quite catch that."

"Ah said Ah'm mad at you. Ah really don't want ta be around you right now."

One of the many things he liked about Marie was that she didn't mind one bit telling you the score. He chanced another look at Janet, but she had taken a sudden interest in her pancakes, and wouldn't meet his eyes. He had to get out. Now.

"Sure thing kid." He stood abruptly, jerking himself away from the table so fast that he almost knocked his chair over. Marie watched him leave, wondering if she'd been too harsh. When she turned to ask that question of Janet, Marie was shocked into silence by the stricken look on her friend's face and the tears in her eyes. She was certain that what ever it was, it had to be about Logan.

"Janet what's wrong? What did that jerk do now?"

Janet took a deep breath, and then another. Dashing the back of her good hand across her eyes, she sadly shook her head. "It wasn't Logan, Marie. I can't believe what I just did to him."

"Ah don't understand. You didn't do anything Janet. Ah was sittin right here. What are ya talkin about?"

Janet felt dead inside. She didn't really want to tell Rogue, but then again, what did she have to lose. In a shaky voice, Janet recounted the events of yesterday, as well as the dream she'd had last night. Finally, she revealed to Marie her reaction to Logan's sudden appearance at their table.

"This is bad Janet. He can smell it when someone's afraid of him."

"Don't you think I don't know that?" She started to get up, just wanting to just get away from it all, but Rogue's gloved hand stopped her.

"No. Ah'm sure you did…ya need ta understand somethin. Fear is what Logan expects. Ah think one of the reasons he stays here is because we don't react that way around him. Especially you, me and Jubes. Ah still got a pretty good idea what's goin on inside that thick skull a his. This is somethin he's been waitin for. Sooner or later, we'd start treatin him like everyone else did. We'd see him for what he really is, what he thinks he is. We'd start bein afraid of him."

"It's not like I didn't know that," she blurted out, not able to meet the younger woman's eyes. "My God Marie…how do I fix this?"

Rogue reached across the table, taking Janet's hand in her own. "Are ya afraid of him?"

"No! It's not like that!" Her side was hurting again. Hank had admonished her to take it easy but when she'd woken this morning she'd been hungry. Plus, she really couldn't stand the idea of being cooped up in her room all day. Now Janet wished she had pulled the blanket over her head and gone back to sleep.

"Then what is it Janet? There's gotta be some reason for you ta freak out like that."

"It's stupid. I know he wouldn't hurt me, or anyone else here for that matter." At Marie's raised eyebrow she almost smiled. "Ok, except for Scott. Before yesterday I thought I knew what he was capable of, at least in my head. Rogue, I've been dealing with the results of violent behavior for years. One of the reasons I took this job was because I needed to get away from that, at least for a while. But I've never seen anything like what happened yesterday. Not even close. Even though I knew in my head that it was part of the package, I'm just…I don't know…it's just hard to reconcile what I saw with how he is when he's around me."

Rogue nodded, then gave Janet a speculative look. "So...ya dreamed that Logan killed yer daddy? That part ain't true, but the rest of it…that ain't a dream was it?"

The older woman took a long shuddering breath. "No Marie…not just a dream. It's how my father really died. I don't…it's been a while since I even had it, but that dream isn't…there no reason for it to shake me up like this."

"No reason? After what happened to ya? After dreamin somethin so horrible? Wake up girl! Ah don't blame ya for what happened. Problem is, what are we gonna do about it?"

"Marie, I know you want to help, but this is my mess and I've got to deal with it."

"Janet, trust me on this, yer gonna need my help dealin with him. I love the man but sometimes he can be a pig headed idiot."

"Marie, he has every right to be mad at me. After what happened I'm sure he is."

Rogue shook her head vehemently, snatching a piece of bacon off Logan's abandoned tray. "That's what I'm talkin about sugar. He ain't gonna be mad at you. He's gonna chalk this up ta you just seeing him as he really is. More Ah think of it, the more I gotta believe this whole wild hair he's got up his ass about Magneto is just he way of trying ta push us away. Logan don't think he deserves ta be happy."

**Don't forget to leave a review!**


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who left a review. I'm leaving for vacation today, so you won't see another update for a while. As always any feedback is appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own them. I just play a little**

He'd discover long ago that he did some of his best thinking when he was hitting someone. Or in this case something. Over and over, like twin pistons, Logan's fists slammed into the heavy bag. The meaty smacked echoed through the empty gym, as the bag swung on a chain suspended from the ceiling. He'd been at it for nearly forty minutes, but then he had a lot to think about.

She was afraid of him. At first he didn't know what to do with that, so he reacted in a normal Loganesque manner. He ran. Marched right into the garage, jumped on his bike and took off roaring into the morning. After a while he stopped at the seediest bar he could find, walked in and ordered a bottle. He just wanted to hit something, but unfortunately there wasn't anyone there willing to oblige him.

Of the half dozen people present, two were sleeping at the bar, and the other three looked to be drinking up their Social Security checks. Then there was the bartender. Not exactly prime bar fight material. With a tired shrug he finished the bottle and ordered another, chugging it down fast enough that for a few minutes even his healing factor couldn't keep up. He considered the fifty bucks well spent, buying him a little relief from the pain. He really wanted to drink some more, but didn't have enough money. So he left the goggled eyed bartender staring as he walked out. By early afternoon, almost out of gas, he'd returned to the mansion, making his way down to the gym.

He continued to pummel the bag, his outward manner detached, while his mind was in turmoil. How could he blame her, after she'd seen what he was? Still it hurt. Physical pain he could deal with, it was the price of his mutation. But the emotional variety was something he had schooled himself to avoid. This was a bitter reminder of why. He knew she found him attractive. Janet's interest in him was a heady thing, something he'd never bothered to examine too closely, afraid of what he might find behind it all. He had treated his own feelings for her in the same way. Feelings like he had for Jean, only different, stronger. Better, because he believed that they were returned, that she felt the same way about him. So he ignored the doubts that sometimes bothered him, not wanting to rock the boat, or worse, find out he was wrong. Maybe he was a coward, at least when it came to this kind of stuff.

But there was nothing for it now. He didn't know much about love, but he was pretty sure it was incompatible with being afraid of the person that you were supposed to love. Whatever they had, it didn't seem likely to him that it could overcome what lay between them. The nature of his mutation, the rage that he carried inside. She had seen him as he really was and recoiled in fear. And the thing of it was, he didn't blame her one bit. The more he reflected on it, the more he realized what a fool he was. What the hell was he doing here? Summers was right, he was dangerous. It was only a matter of time before he hurt one of the kids, before his temper and violent urges precipitated a disaster. It was time to go. But first, he'd take care of a few things.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway broke him out of his thoughts, then he looked at the bag and cursed. There was blood on it. Pausing his assault, Logan looked at his hands which were also bloody, the left one split at the knuckles. Before Scott Summers walked into the gym, five seconds later; it was perfect again and Logan was already stalking toward the locker room.

"Logan," he called out, "the Professors wants to see you in his office. He said…Jesus…what the hell happened now?"

"Relax Cyke, I'll clean it up." The sound of water running, then a few seconds later, Logan emerged with some towels.

"I take it this is your blood."

"No Summers, just thought I'd sever someone's arm and use it ta redecorate. What the hell does Chuck want?

"Donald's here. She has some changes she wants to make to the security grid. She also has a request from her boss. Something about…" his voice trailed off as Logan began wiping the blood off the heavy bag. "I don't get it, how did you…"

"Wasn't payin attention."

"You weren't paying attention," Scott repeated incredulously.

"Just drop it, would ya Cyke," Logan growled. "What kind of shit is Fury dumping on us now?"

"I don't know. I suppose we'll find out soon enough," Scott grumbled. There was a pause as Logan finished the clean up. "Have you talked to the Professor about…"

"Not yet," Logan cut him off, "I've been thinkin."

"Thinking?"

"Damn it, ya gonna just keep repeatin everything I say ta ya?"

"No…I just thought you would have been anxious to talk to him about it."

"I am. And now's as good a time as any." Logan tossed the soiled towels into the waste basket. "You tell him anything?"

"No I haven't. He asked about last night of course. I said it would be better if we made our report together."

"Thanks Summers," came the gruff reply. "Tell him I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

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"Xavier, we need ta talk."

Logan's deceptively calm voice cut through the conversation the Professor was having with Lisa Donald about her proposed security improvements. Nevertheless it immediately put Xavier on his guard. First, Logan never called him anything but Chuck. Then there was the emotions he was giving off. While the Professor would never pry too closely, he was always careful to keep an eye on Logan's emotional state. Right now it was a confusing mixture of anger and sadness. Glancing at Scott, he could tell that whatever it was that Logan wanted to discuss, this was no surprise to the leader of the X-Men.

"Ms. Donald, if you would give us a few minutes."

"Of course Professor," she replied in a sour tone. After retrieving her charts, she made a hasty exit.

Xavier took in Logan's stony expression, noticed that Scott was refusing to meet his gaze and gave a mental shrug. "I take it this has something to do with your trip last night. What did you find?" That directed to Scott. Logan supplied the answer.

"Had a little talk with Lenscherr."

"Eric was there," Xavier exclaimed, before turning back from Logan to Scott, his shock quickly giving way to anger. "Scott, how could you fail to inform me that he was there! What did he…"

"Didn't say nothin ta Summers," Logan interrupted, in a flat, emotionless voice. "Called us on a cell. Had some things he wanted ta say ta me." The nonplussed look on Xavier's face did give him a slight sense of satisfaction. It wasn't easy to catch the Professor off guard.

"Eric talked to you," came the terse reply. "And so you are here to ask me if it is true."

"Why Xavier," Logan asked, in a soft, dangerous tone. "Why did you fucking lie ta me?"

"While I admit to withholding some things from you, I have never told you a lie Logan."

He could feel the bitter rage, like bile in his throat. The burning sensation that itched between his knuckles. "It's the same damn thing and you know it. Why?"

Xavier seemed to deflate before his eyes, as he slumped back into the high tech wheel chair that he usually sat on like a throne. Reaching for the cup on his desk, he took a sip, grimacing at the taste of the cooling tea.

"Logan, when you first came hear, I had not laid eyes on you in nearly twenty years. I did not immediately recognize you. When I came to realize you had no memory of our brief acquaintance, I decided that for the time being I would not mention our past history. It seemed to me at the time, that if I divulged the fact that we had known each other, it would only inflame your suspicions. Plus there was that fact that I really didn't know anything that would be of interest to you."

"You knew my name Xavier. Didn't you think I'd be interested in that?"

"I believed at the time that it would be best if your memories returned on their own. I still do. Learning random details might satisfy your curiosity, but it cannot give you back the life you once had."

"My name ain't a fucking detail," he snarled. Turning away from Xavier, he walked over to the huge window. "Ya had no right ta keep shit like this from me."

"I understand how you would feel that way and I will apologize if that is what you want. But I stand by my earlier decision. Think about it Logan. Has what you learned from Colonel Fury been helpful to you in any way?"

"Just more fucking questions," he muttered, staring out the window. Looking back over his shoulder, he fixed Xavier with a piercing gaze. "I ain't interested in yer apologies Chuck. And I don't give a shit what ya think I need. Just tell me all of it, everything ya know."

"Very well Logan. I shall be happy to do so."

And the thing of it was, that was true. While he didn't think it would do Logan much good (after all, it was **his **memory), it would certainly be no hardship for him. Quite the opposite. The memory of that day in the fall of 1986 was one he had come to cherish. He and Eric were still together and their disagreements, while growing more frequent, had not begun to poison their relationship. Those times always stood out in his mind as among the happiest of his life.

Then there was the effect the actual meeting had on him. He had been forcefully reminded of that fact that they were not alone. Fellow mutants continued to turn up in the most unexpected ways. That day he made a decision. He would no longer be passive in seeking out his brothers and sisters. He would find a way to locate them, communicate with them. Later, faced with the responsibility of caring for and educating the young girl whom Logan would bring back to him, he would set out on a new course in life. One that lead almost directly to this school and the X-Men. As he related to Logan and Scott what had taken place on that day, he realized what a poor substitute his account was for the memories he had. While he had never made the mistake of feeling sorry for Logan, this observation brought him very close to it.

_The location that was given was odd to say the least. A small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan called Sault Saint Marie. When Charles told Eric about their destination he had grumbled about needing to purchase a fur coat. Xavier had laughed at that, but the grumbling had not stopped and now he was merely annoyed. It didn't help that the complaint had turned out to contain a grain of truth. Even though it was only the middle of September, there was a chill wind blowing through the park. Charles knew it was Eric giving voice to his frustration, which to be sure he shared. After all they had been given only twenty-four hours to get there from Manhattan. _

_The note had been very specific. They were to wait on the easternmost of three large metal viewing platforms that overlooked the Soo Locks. While crowded with tourists during the summer months, fall found Charles and Eric standing alone on the empty steel tower, shivering in the stiff wind. Charles had counted seven people scattered through the park, none younger then sixty._

"_Tell me again Charles, why we are on this delightful holiday? Is this person really worth all this bother, or is it that you have hidden from me a fetish for large boats."_

_He smiled, grateful for Eric's returning good mood. "As you well know Eric, this wasn't my idea. I asked Nicolas who he would recommend for this and he told me that there was only one man for the job."_

"_One man," his friend scoffed. "We don't need **their** help with this Charles. I don't see why you insist on this ridiculous cloak and dagger game. These people have no means of resisting our power."_

"_Certainly you would be correct, if we knew where they were holding the child, or even who they are. But we don't, and so we must utilize the skills of someone who can find her for us. As to the rest, you know perfectly well what would happen if we revealed ourselves."_

"_Haven't you already done so," snapped Eric. "You may trust Fury but I most certainly do not."_

"_You're smart not to trust him, I sure don't." _

_The low gravelly voice startled them and they quickly turned to face it. He was standing at the top of the stairs, wearing jeans, a Soo Locks tee-shirt, and a leather jacket. A baseball cap with the name of a ship on it almost covered his eyes. Eyes that darted back and forth, eyes that took in everything. After a few moments he stepped fully unto the platform and walked over to lean casually on the railing. The silence stretched out until the new arrival finally broke it._

"_You need me to find someone for you." It was not a question. And the voice that asked, like his face, gave nothing away. _

"_You are correct," Charles answered. "There is a girl who has…"_

"_I read everything you sent me," the cool voice interrupted. "Before we talk about anything else you need to answer one question. What do you want with her?"_

"_If you read the materials then you already know the answer to that."_

"_I want to hear you say it. What do you two want with her?"_

_There was no hiding the fury written on Eric's face. "What are you implying sir?"_

_The other man's expression remained absolutely neutral. "Just answer the question Mr. Lenscherr."_

"_Please Eric," Xavier muttered, griping the other man's shoulder. "Her father was a friend of mine," Charles continued. Despite his best efforts there was more then a hint of anger in his voice. " As I wrote to you, I only recently became aware of what had happened to them. David had concerns about the safty of his family. Before he left for Cairo, he made me promise to look after his little girl if anything should befall them. I intend to keep that promise."_

_For a time their eyes locked, then Xavier saw a tiny nod and what seemed a slight relaxation of the other man's guarded expression. "Alright Mr. Xavier. In your note you only mentioned that you wanted me to locate her. When I find her, do you want retrieval as well?"_

"_That would be acceptable. And of course I would be willing to pay you an additional fee for doing this."_

"_Not necessary. The original amount we agreed on is fine."_

"_Very well then Mister…"_

"_Just call me Logan."_

"_Yes. Well, is there anything else you need…Logan?"_

_Those eyes scrutinized both of them. Then a small smile. "This kid, is she like you?"_

"_What do you mean by that," Eric asked, his tone icy. _

"_Is she a mutant?"_

_Shocked silence. Then Eric rounded on his friend. "Didn't I tell you! What ever possessed you to think that Fury could be trusted. Who knows how many people he has told."_

"_Fury didn't say a thing to me."_

"_He must have," came the stiff reply. "It's the only way that you would have known."_

"_Mr. Lenscherr," Logan answered softly, "knowing things is my business. Besides you don't need to worry about Fury. Your secret is safe with him."_

"_I thought you said he was not to be trusted?"_

"_This isn't about trust. In his profession, knowledge is power. Fury doesn't like to give up power."_

"_Yes Logan, she is a mutant." Xavier had no idea how this man would know about their secret. Unless…but that was a question for another time. "Although her powers have yet to manifest, there have been indications." _

"_Does anybody besides you two know?"_

"_I do not think so. Even her parents were only vaguely aware of her gift. Colonel Fury certainly does not know."_

"_I wouldn't be too sure of that. Otherwise good. Makes things simpler. Don't know how long this will take. Once I've retrieved her, I'll call you at the number you gave me."_

"_Very good. We will look forward to seeing you Logan."_

"_You won't. I'll leave her in the care of Mr. Jones at the Canadian embassy in Cairo. Just tell him that you're there to retrieve the package that Logan left." _

_As Logan turned to go Charles felt something like panic grip him. "Please…Logan. Would you be adverse to staying in touch with us? I can foresee other circumstances were we might have need of someone with your …abilities."_

_The other man turned around, the guarded expression having returned. "Abilities?"_

_The single word seemed to hang in the air. Xavier decided to take a chance "Perhaps a better term might be gifts."_

"_You are one of us," exclaimed Eric, in a tone bordering on disbelief. "A mutant?"_

"_No I'm not," came the terse reply. "But I am a mutant." His gaze turned to Xavier, and Charles had to force himself not to flinch. "Gifts," he snickered, shaking his head. "If you need me, just talk to Fury. He can usually get a hold of me." And with that he was gone._

"I don't get it Chuck, why did ya think ya need ta keep this from me?"

"Because Logan," Xavier answered patiently, "hearing this from me does you no real good. Because no matter how many pieces of the puzzle that is your past you gain from others it will not be complete. In order to truly recover your past, **you **must remember it."

"Come on Xavier. That load of crap might work on the others, but I ain't buyin it. Yer still keepin yer little secrets, ain't ya?"

"Use your senses Logan. Everything I told you is true. I am sorry if the information was not what you wished for, but I can hardly be blamed for that."

A low chuckle escaped the feral man's throat. But there was no humor behind this laugh. "I know it's the truth Chuck, but what I want is what ya didn't tell me. Why are ya holdin back?"

"You have no memory of any of this," Xavier responded in an irritated voice. "Anything you know of what took place between us is because I have told you. Tell me Logan, what kind of information do you imagine that I have not shared with you?"

"What happened ta the girl?"

"It did take several weeks, but you found her. Just as you said you would, you left her in the care of the Canadian embassy."

"Who was she Chuck?" No answer. Logan watched him, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly at the other man's silence. "What's wrong Chuck, don't ya remember?"

"I'm sorry Logan, but I cannot tell you at this time."

"Why the hell not?"

"Perhaps after I have had the opportunity to speak with her."

He was good. Logan knew it wasn't an outright lie. But he was pretty sure it wasn't the truth either. "Fine Chuck. You don't want ta talk about it, I'll find someone that will. You ain't the only one who likes ta keep secrets."

Turning his back to the Professor, he stalked over to the door and opened it. As he expected, Donald was waiting there, pacing back and forth across the hallway. Looking back at Xavier, he smiled.

"Donald, tell yer boss I want ta see him. Same place as the last time. Tonight."

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Hank McCoy's large, clawed fingers danced over the controls as he readjusted the strength of the electromagnetic field. That last blast had nearly shattered the control room's safety glass. He really didn't want to spend the rest of the evening picking it out of his fur. He frowned, flipping a switch that would kick the field up a few extra notches.

"Would you be so kind as to repeat that last one Jubilee? At maximum intensity once more please."

"Come on Hankster," she whined, glaring up at him from inside the Danger Room. "We've been down here an hour already. If I'm gonna make that movie with Kit-Kat, I need to head up pretty soon. I'm tired of blowing things up."

Hank grimaced, imagining the reaction he would get when he told her that it would probably take several more sessions to gather all the data he needed. Hank wondered if he could get Logan to tell her. After all he would heal.

"Please my dear, just one more. And I need you to try and make it as close to the last one in explosive force as you can."

He needed comparison data to measure how much energy was expended when Jubilee used her gift. Since she had not yet mastered exactly how to control that, Hank used multiple readings and took the average. This final round was at her highest output. Hence the shielding.

Hank watched closely as the young woman's hand began to glow, the eerie green incandescence creeping up her arm until suddenly the hand shot out in front of her, producing a ball plasma that hurdled across the room to explode against the far wall. The blast shield that had sprung up to protect her from the shock of the detonation slowly receded back into the floor, even as the ventilation fans kicked in, drawing out the thin wisps of smoke.

"Excellent work Jubilation. Why don't you avail yourself of the showering facilities and then come up here. There is some data from the tests you should see."

"You got it dude. Just like remember to speak English Hankster. And ya gotta hurry or I won't get ta see Johnny D tonight."

Hank couldn't help but smile. While Jubilee could be difficult at times, he enjoyed her enthusiasm. A few deft flicks of his fingers and the Danger Room was shut down. He began pouring over the data, lost in thought; when he heard the door open. Without pausing to look up he called out to her.

"Jubilee, please be patient. I am still extrapolating this data. You have plenty of time to…"

"Sorry Hank, I can come by later if you don't have the time right now." Startled, Hank looked up from his work to see Janet standing by the door.

"No need for that. Our session is at an end. I was merely examining the results of the experiments that Ms. Lee and I were performing."

"Experiments," she snorted, "is that what you call it when you start rattling the walls around here?"

"Indeed," Hank said as he examined her closely. Janet looked fatigued he thought, but otherwise appeared to be doing better. "How are you feeling my dear?"

Instead of answering him she walked over to the chair beside him, plopping down with a sigh. "I'm really tired Hank. And still a little sore. But that's not what I want to talk to you about."

Hank frowned at the signals she was giving off. From the dejected slump of her shoulders, to the downcast expression that she wore, Janet was radiating sorrow.

"What is troubling you so?"

She tried to smile, but Hank thought it looked more like a grimace. "I screwed up big time Hank. I guess I need some advise from you, but first I need to tell you what happened."

"Please do so," he encouraged, trying to put her at ease with a smile.

In a strong, steady voice, Janet told him all of it. Of the dream that woke her in the middle of the night. Of what had happened earlier in the day. Of how she had reacted to Logan's sudden appearance during breakfast. Of how even now she couldn't help the dread she felt when she thought of what she had witnessed when Creed and Logan had fought. When she was done, she was relieved that there are no tears.

"You know," he said softly, "what happened, while regrettable, is not something that you really had the ability to control."

"I don't accept that Hank. None of this should have been a surprise to me. I know Logan has…well problems relating to what happened to him. I knew what he was capable of given the right circumstances."

"Did you really?"

"Ok," she said after taking a deep breath, "I thought I knew. It wasn't…I guess I wasn't as tough has I thought. He's told me a lot about what they did to him, pretty much everything he remembers, so that he would react violently to being attacked wasn't a surprise. Plus there are other things; the flashbacks and dreams, hyper vigilance, the need for control, all classic Post Traumatic symptoms. I thought I could handle it. But you're right, it was more then I was ready to see I guess."

"Janet, I think you are making a false assumption. I have no doubt that the terrible things that were done to him are in some small measure **one **cause of what you have observed. But regardless of the horrors he as suffered, Logan would certainly be the most violent person you have ever known."

"I don't…what are you saying Hank?"

"That you do not know Logan as well as you think. It is not surprising really. You observe a certain set of character traits, learn that the person who exhibits them has been horribly brutalized, and assume the connection. While I will admit that Logan still suffers from the affects of what was done to him, there is a more fundamental reason why he acts as he does."

She remembered the first time she'd seen his claws, how he had acted that night. Why hadn't she been afraid then? Only she had. When those things came out of his hands. She had told herself afterwards, when she'd found out how it was that he had metal claws, that they weren't really part of him. It was something that had been done to him. That became her mantra to everything about the man that made her uneasy. Or in the case of what she had seen yesterday, frightened her. And now Hank was telling her that she was wrong.

"Are you telling me that the reason is his mutation?" At his nod she shook her head, the words pouring out of her. "How can that be Hank. I know you both have the same gift and I've never seen you…"

"Janet," Hank interrupted, "while our gifts are similar there are important differences. There is also that fact that I…" Hank stopped suddenly his gaze turning from her to the open door. "Jubilee, you may come in now."

She sauntered in, a mischievous grin on her face, still dressed in the black leather uniform that Hank had insisted she wear for the tests. "Dude, you ready ta show me your science stuff? Otherwise I'm gonna motor."

Hank frowned, knowing that Jubilee had overheard at least part of their conversation. "Please wait here a moment Ms. Lee." Gesturing for Janet to join him, he walked out of the control room, closing the door after Janet had made her exit.

"She heard us," the woman groaned.

"Almost certainly," Hank agreed, feeling badly for her. "But I will talk to her. I will make sure she understands how disagreeable these tests can be if I were to become angry with her."

"Thanks Hank," she said in a dull voice, but when she started to go he stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"If you wish, we can talk further on this matter. I do not make friends easily. Nevertheless I have become fond of both you and Logan. I would like very much to help you both resolve this misunderstanding."

"Marie told me that I should talk to you. That you'd be able to explain things to me." She looked away for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. "I don't know if there's anything you can do. Right now I have no idea what I'd even say to him. Or if he'd even listen."

"He does care for you Janet. I had the opportunity to observe him in the medlab when he came to see you. I am by no means an expert on romance, but even I could tell that you are special to him. One would hesitate to say such a thing about Logan, but I believe that it is true. Am I wrong in thinking you feel the same way?"

"No," she answered fiercely, "You're not. Hank I love him. I want him to want me, but even more I want him to be happy. He needs that so much Hank. Rogue told me that he doesn't think he deserves to be happy."

Hank opened his mouth…and then shut it. Of course he realized; Marie would know. Janet watched him as his expression shifted from dismayed, to thoughtful, before suddenly breaking into a huge grin. To her amazement, he began to rub his massive paws together.

"Do you know my dear," he chuckled, "there is nothing I enjoy more then a challenge."

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"What do you mean ya don't know! That's bullshit Fury and you know it."

Fury winced, but not because of the tone of Logan's voice. He simply didn't like to admit that there were things he didn't know. Almost as much as he hated being back here. At least tonight there were some actual bikers at the Dew Drop Inn. When he'd looked at the expense reports last week, he'd almost busted a gut. The damn place was turning a profit.

"Damn it Logan, it wasn't a SHIELD operation. I was just the middle man. Xavier wanted a recommendation, so I turned him on to you."

Let me get this straight," Logan growled, after taking another shot. "Chuck didn't tell you a thing about this? And you never found out anything on yer own? Cause you really weren't interested in mutants back then, were ya?"

"Xavier wasn't that easy to get a handle on. Back then he didn't mind using his ability to cover his tracks. Plus you wouldn't tell me a damn thing. Said it was none of my fucking business."

"Crap," he muttered, before knocking back another drink, "Well, it's been fun Fury." But before he could get out of the chair Lisa Donald walked up to them, sitting down next to Fury.

"Sorry I'm late Colonel Fury."

"What the hell are you doin here?"

"I asked her to come," Fury answered him quietly, fingering the envelope. "I needed her to bring me this."

"Ok Fury, I'll bite. What the hell is it."

"Something I want you to do for me."

And there it was. The thing he'd been ignoring (one of many) since he'd last seen Fury. Did he really need any more complications right now? Did he really think he could trust him? No and no. But on the other hand, this would certainly make some things a little easier. Besides, doing things for Fury didn't necessarily mean doing what he wanted. But the clincher for Logan was that it would probably piss Xavier off.

"Show me what ya got."

"Your kidding? Just like that."

"No, not just like that," Logan scowled, glaring at the man. "I'll hear you out, but it's my choice. Always. I ain't gonna take any of yer shit Fury. You screw with me an yer never gonna see it comin." The other man started to talk, but Logan slammed his hand on the table, cutting him off. "I ain't done yet. You want somethin from me, fine. I want somethin from you."

"You'll get those files."

"Just not the ones about Xavier eh?"

"Damn it I told you…"

"Yeah, right. Ya don't have em." Logan poured himself another shot. "So, I get the files you told me about. When?"

"Three weeks," Fury offered, holding up a hand to forestall Logan's objection. "Some of them aren't available from the SHIELD archives. They won't be easy to get."

"Three weeks." It was said with the same tone a man would use to describe the fly he'd found in his soup. "There's something else I want. Anything you got on Lenscherr or any of the fuckers who work for em. Especially the blue bitch and Creed."

"What for? I already send Xavier everything that comes to us on…"

"Not Xavier. Me. And Chuck don't need ta know anything about this."

Fury pulled a cigar out, spend a few seconds fussing before setting a match to it. Leaning back he puffed away, eyes unfocused. "Why?"

"Let's just say I'm doin Chuck a favor. One he ain't likely ta be too happy about."

"We'll pass along whatever we get." Turning to Donald, Fury waved his hand. "Tell him."

Logan lit a cigar of his own and they both smoked like Yugo's as Donald described the problem. A group of young, possibly homeless mutants, were suspected in a string of petty thefts and break-ins that had occurred in the last few weeks in Greenwich Village. Being rather busy with armed robberies, rapes, and murders, the New York Police had paid little attention to the complaints until three days ago, when something finally caught their attention. At that point Logan interrupted by blowing smoke in her face.

"How the hell do ya know they're mutants?"

"Police reports state that's the word on the street. Man who was harassing a hooker on Cornelia Street had his car flipped over."

"The girl do it?"

"Says he doesn't remember," she offered, "and he probably doesn't. Concussion."

"What else?"

"The usual…reports of people flying, turning different colors, sticking to walls…"

"What the hell," grunted Logan, "a Spiderman mutation?"

"You're a real scream Logan."

"You don't got shit Fury." Logan said, taking another puff. "Bunch of people probably drunk off their asses are seeing mutants, and you want me ta investigate?"

"Damn it, will you just listen for a minute. Tell him the rest Donald."

"Two night ago, several police officers responding to reports of a disturbance at a dance club, forced their way into a rest room. They found a man, in what they described in their report as a semi-conscious state. They also found this."

The photograph showed a gaping hole in the wall. One of the metal partitions used to divide the toilet stalls had been wrenched off it's mounting and used to block the door. Logan studied the photograph. Plaster, glass, and bricks littered the floor.

"According to the victim," Donald went on in a tired voice, "who was an off duty police officer; the young woman approached him with an offer of sex in exchange for money. Once they entered the restroom he tried to make an arrest. She attacked him, knocked the hole in the wall and took off down the alley. He was in pretty bad shape, so his recollection was a little fuzzy."

"I'll just bet it was," Logan smirked. "If she crashed through that wall, how come all that shit is inside the john. Girl probably never touched him. When the wall collapsed, it must a knocked him for a loop. Someone else was helpin her."

"Yeah," Fury grunted around his cigar, "We pretty much figured all that out. Got a man inside the force who confirmed it. But the police are sticking with this guy's story. And they're looking for her on assault charges now."

"You got a description?"

Donald pulled out another piece of paper. "White female, between seventeen and twenty-four. Under five-four, dressed in a short black leather skirt, a black tank top and black boots. She had piercings on her nose, lips, and tongue."

"Come on Donald! Do ya got any idea how many women are running around New York City dressed like that? Did the cops even see her? Did she leave anything behind?"

"The cop she is alleged to have attacked wasn't too clear on what she looked like. But the police did find several people in the bar who were able to describe her well enough for an artist to render a drawing." She place the three sketches side by side on the table. While the clothing was identical, the face was different on each one.

"Son of a bitch. She's a damn shifter." Crushing his cigar out Logan stared at the drawings, shaking his head. "It fucking hopeless. No name, no face, hell you don't even know if she's with this gang of kids the cops are looking for. You got nothing Fury."

"Actually that's not true. Boss, the reason I was late. Um…she…well she did leave something behind…so to speak."

"Damn it Donald," Fury ground out, scowling at the woman, "why the hell didn't you tell me when ya got here?"

"Well sir…it's not really what we expected. Not really something that's going to help. Just an...article of clothing."

"Perfect," he practically shouted, smiling for the first time since Logan had arrived. "If she wore it, then Logan should be able to use it."

"Um…she definitely did wear it sir. Colonel Fury I'm not quite sure how that works."

"Never mind Donald, just show us what you got."

She pulled an envelope out of her attaché case. Tearing off the top, she spilled the contents unto the table. One black silk thong. A short silence followed. Then Logan started to laugh.

**Please don't forget to leave a review!**


	26. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay. The only thing I can say in my defense was that my vacation addled my brain. Any way I think I've recovered, so the next update won't take nearly as long. A big thank you to MidLifeCrisis, for her help in making sense of my muddled ideas and for the best line in this chapter. You'll have to ask her where she got it from. Thanks also go out to all of you kind enough to review my last chapter. Please let me know what you think of this one.**

He'd forgotten just how much he hated New York. He cursed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. The stench of urban decay and overcrowding assaulted his senses, making him feel dirty. The last time he'd been here for any length of time was ten years ago. He'd had a gig in Queens, fighting for a week in an abandoned warehouse. Made more money then he could in a year up in Canada, but he'd never come back. The smells, the noise, not to mention how disconnected he felt from the natural world. Back then it had been more then he could handle. Now it was just more then he could stomach. What was he doing in this God damned place? Last night the look on Fury's face had been funny has hell. Now he just wanted to strangle the son of a bitch.

"_I still don't get what ya think I can do Fury," he grunted, nudging the tiny scrap of silk on the table. "Gonna take me a long time ta sniff out every hooker in New York. This don't help me one damn bit."_

_Fury was staring at the thong like he thought it was going to explode. "We'll keep working on our end. We're hoping our contact will have more for us."_

"_What, she leave her bra lyin around some place?"_

_Fury turned to look at him, his expression cold. "If you can't handle it just tell me. I'll give it to Xavier."_

_Logan just smirked at him. "Why don't ya? I'd pay money ta watch Summers tryin to sort through a bunch a hookers." Then the smile faded, replaced by a dark scowl. "What ain't ya tellin me Fury? Why do you give a shit what happens ta this kid?"_

"_I don't. But we both know how it's gonna look in the papers if the New York cops tangle with a bunch of mutants, kids or not. It's not just the girl that the cops want Logan. Least one of them is strong enough to toss a car around."_

"_Or bust a hole through a brick wall." Logan chewed thoughtfully on the stub of his cigar. Without Cerebro, Xavier wouldn't have a chance of finding any of these kids before things got ugly. Not that he had much hope of doing any better. The whole deal just pissed him off. Something about it just didn't smell right. _

_Fury took his silence as acquiescence. Shoving all the paper work into a folder, he slid it across the table to him along with the all important thong and a fat envelope full of cash. Logan stared at him for a long time, then scooped everything up and stalked out._

The first thing he did when he got to New York was find a room. Since SHIELD was paying, he checked into a decent hotel just four blocks from Greenwich Village. After scarfing down an enormous meatball sandwich and half a dozen Molsons, he started hunting for hookers.

To his surprise, they were hard to find, at least in the areas he was looking. It didn't take long to work out why. The cops were out in force, some just driving around, while others were walking beats. Curious, he took to the shadows, using alleys and doorways to keep hidden as he watched. Finally, by what looked like a parking lot, he spotted two women. They were certainly dressed for the part, in thigh-high black leather boots and short skirts, calling out suggestively to passing drivers. Most of the cars kept right on going, but a few were interested. As soon as they pulled over the dickering began, followed closely by arrests. The only working girls he'd spotted were the law. No luck tonight. They were either already in jail or laying low. Alright, if hunting didn't work he'd try fishing.

In Toronto, with up close and personal experience, it would have been a piece of cake...or ass, as it were. He knew dozens of bars there that would work for what he wanted. Too rough wouldn't do, but the more respectable ones paid their help too well. It took some time, but he finally hit pay dirt. It was a dump, but not one where you'd end up with a broken nose. He sat at the end of the bar, ordering drinks in rapid succession, pretending to watch the baseball game on their crummy TV. After about thirty minutes he got a bite. Two women came in smelling of sex, stale tobacco, and whiskey. One of them paused to slip the bartender something, while the other made a beeline for him. A few minutes later, negotiations concluded, he walked out of Geno's with two new friends, Darcy and Marcy.

As he mimicked staggering down the street, there was only one thing on his mind. Get laid. He hadn't had sex since the night before returning from Alkali Lake and Rosy Palm and her five sisters were more familiar then he cared to admit. True, hiring hookers wasn't his first choice. He didn't customarily need to pay for sex. Of course he wouldn't be paying tonight, Fury would.

So why, despite being long over due for a good fuck and being able to get someone else to foot the bill, was he feeling guilty for what he wanted. As if he didn't know the answer to that. Janet! He hadn't promised her anything. Hell he fumed, remembering the scent of her fear, she didn't want him. She was afraid of him, repulsed by what he was.

A small voice (the horny one) inside his head whispered that it didn't mean a damn thing, it was just fucking, something he'd done his entire remembered life. She wouldn't even need to know about this. But even as that thought passed through he head, he recognized it for what it was, more of his bullshit. He still wanted her, it was simple as that. He couldn't leave it alone, no matter that his instincts told him that he was making a mistake. While he had never made her any promises, that didn't mean he didn't want to. He groaned, astonished at how his time at Xavier's had changed him.

Darcy (was she the blond one?) squeezed his arm a little tighter. "You feeling all right big guy?"

Marcy's (damn it he couldn't remember) arm snaked around his waist as she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Where was it you were staying at?"

And suddenly, Logan knew he wouldn't take two women whose names he couldn't even keep straight back to his hotel room. Pulling away, he lurched into the next alley. For a few seconds the girls hung back, and he thought he was going to lose them.

"Shit," the blond one whispered, "I think he's going to hurl. Let's get out of here."

"No way," the other one responded. "It took us three fucking hours to find him. We got bills to pay and I'm not starting over." Calling to him, "Come on handsome. Let's get back to your place. Marcy and me are going to show you a real good time."

Once in the shadows of the alley Logan straightened up and face them. "Ain't goin back ta my place darlin."

"Hey asshole," the one that wasn't Darcy spat, "we are so **not **hooking up with you in the fucking alley. The deal was a room and cash."

"Never mind what I told ya," he growled, not believing what he was about to say. "I ain't **hooking **up with either of ya. All I want ta do is talk…"

"Fuck you," the blond (apparently Marcy) answered hotly, turning away from him in disgust. "We don't get paid for talking."

"Says who?" Logan pulled a thick roll of bills out of his pocket, pealing off two fifties. "This is for yer time. There's a hundred more for each of ya if ya answer my questions."

"We already told you guys everything we know," Darcy insisted as she snatched the money out of Logan's hand.

"What are ya talkin about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about. You guys spent two hours grilling us about that mutant last night. Just leave us alone, would you?"

"Uhm…Darcy. I don't think he's with those other guys. After all he's paying us, not you know, waving a gun in our faces."

Logan counted out more money, holding out five hundred dollars. What the hell he thought, it wasn't his. "Ok girls, start talkin."

"Like Darcy said, it was last night. We'd been visiting one of our regulars at the Algonquin. We were kind of tired. Lester can be so…energetic."

"God Marcy, why don't you tell him about the diapers while you're at it?"

"Darcy!"

"Ladies…I **really** ain't interested in what ya do with yer…customers. Just tell me what happened after ya got out of the damned hotel."

Marcy swallowed, then started again. "This guy was standing by the door, like he was waiting for us. Nice suit, looked like a business man. You know, away from home, looking for some fun. Asked us if we wanted to go to a party with him. I really didn't want to. We'd made enough money and like I said, I was really tired."

"I didn't like him," Darcy chimed in, "he was creepy. So we said no. He let us walk away, but when we got to the subway stairs there were two more guys, dressed in the same suits. One of them flashed a gun and said if we didn't come with we'd be sorry."

"Hold on," Logan interrupted. "You tellin me they had identical suits on. Exactly the same?"

"Shit dude, you got a hearing problem," Marcy asked. "They were all dressed alike. Same color, same style, even their ties were the same."

"Go on kid, tell me the rest of it."

"They had a limo. The jerk we'd been talking to before was already in it. After they pushed us in, they just drove around while they grilled us about this mutant they were trying to find."

"Did they tell ya why they were lookin for her, who they were workin for?"

"Sorry dude," Darcy answered, "they were the ones asking the questions. All they said was they were looking for a mutant, who they'd heard was working the streets around Greenwich Village."

"They told ya that," Logan asked, "about her bein a mutant?"

"No dude," replied an exasperated Darcy, "they didn't say anything like that. But like, if she can make herself look like anyone, what else could she be?"

"Don't make no sense," Logan growled. "You sure ya don't know anyone like what they were lookin for?"

"I'll tell you the same thing I told them. I never met a mutant in my life. And even if I had, how the fuck would I even know? They made it sound like she could change her freaking face. That's just too weird."

"Relax kid, I believe ya. Guess they did to, otherwise I don't know if we'd be havin this talk."

"They were all scary dudes," Marcy told him in a shaky voice. "The one from the hotel, he did all the talking. He looked at us like we didn't deserve to be alive, much less answering him. I'll tell you, I didn't think they would let us go."

"And I ain't scary to ya," Logan snickered, as he handed her the rest of the money.

"A little," she replied, "but for five hundred dollars, I don't mind being a little scared."

He turned to go, shaking his head, when the blonde asked him what his name was. He thought about it for a few seconds, then he told her.

"Well Logan, seeing as you gave us all this money, we don't really have to work any more tonight. Are you sure you don't want to…"

"I'm sure kid," he said with a whisper of a smile. "You might want ta stay off the street for a while. Don't know who the hell you ran inta, but I don't think ya want to meet up with em again."

"We don't do this every night," she answered, sounding vaguely offended, "just when we need money to pay the rent. Logan, I hope you find her before they do."

"Me too kid, me too."

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"And you're sure they're not cops? You know the NYPD is looking for her. They know she's a mutant Logan. They sure as hell…"

"They're hookers Fury," Logan interrupted, "they know a cop when they see one." He'd spent the rest of the night tracking down and grilling every working girl he could find. Exactly half of them had already been questioned by the same group of well dressed men as Darcy and Marcy. "Cops don't wave a gun at ya. They drag ya in for questioning."

"All right, so if they're not cops, then who are they?"

"I was kinda hopin you'd know that. Yer the fucking spy."

"Damn it Logan, this is the first I've heard of it."

"Now why do I find that hard ta believe? This stinks Fury. It ain't enough that you want me ta find someone with nothing to go on but her panties. Now I got competition and the only thing you can say is ya don't know."

"So you're telling me you can't do it?"

"I didn't fucking say that," Logan snarled, fighting the urge to smash the phone. "Find out who they are, then get em off my ass and make it fast, cause if ya don't the body count's gonna be pretty damn hard ta hide from yer buddies in the press."

"Fuck off Logan. There's a reason we need to keep this out of the papers. The worst thing you could possibly do for Xavier would be to end up on the six o' clock news. That's just the excuse certain people are looking for."

"Then take care of it. Cause if you don't I will."

"Xavier's been asking about you. Called me five times since yesterday."

"Tell someone who cares."

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Ray Garcia was drunk, a fairly common occurrence. Usually he was careful not to overindulge while on duty, but if he occasionally had too much to drink at lunch no one batted an eye. Not that he had to worry about hiding it now. Being on administrative leave did have its compensations. He almost laughed, staggering down the street, barley avoiding a rusted lamp post. Fucking ironic, the New York Police Department was paying him to get drunk. When he considered their generosity, how could he not take every opportunity it afforded him? And so, for the third night in a row, he found himself crawling up the stairs to his apartment after spending the better part of the day at his favorite watering hole.

Reeling down the darkened hallway, he fell heavily against his neighbor's door. Old man Jenkins knew the score and kept his nose out of other people's business. He knew that the best policy was to just not notice things. Garcia fumbled for his keys, cursing when he dropped them. He tried to bend down, but instead somehow ended up landing face down on the ratty carpet. Rolling over on his back, he stared up at the dirty yellow ceiling. He should have stayed, had another bottle. Anything was better then laying on the floor wondering when they would come for him. The earlier euphoria he had enjoyed was gone, replaced by black despair as he contemplated the mess he gotten himself into.

They knew that he'd had her right in his hands and had let her slip away. Because he couldn't keep his dick in his pants. The first day he'd walked around in dread, waiting for a call. He hadn't touched a drop, hoping that somehow that would count for something. No call, no message, nothing. After three days his nerves were shot and he hadn't been sober since. Pushing himself to his knees, he scrabbled for the right key and after three try's he finally got it in the lock. The door swung open as he used the jam to lever himself upright, his hands sliding along the wall until he found the switch. Nothing happened.

A hand shot out of the darkness, yanking him inside even as the door was slammed shut. Something hard slammed into his gut, doubling him over, causing him to spew the tequila still in his belly all over the front of his shirt and pants. Before he could even finish retching, the intruder had grabbed him by the back of his collar and slammed him face first into the wall, pinning him there with his forearm. Garcia's hand grouped for his gun, but his attacker slapped it away, taking the weapon for himself.

"You don't look so good Ray," a low gravely voice whispered in his ear.

Spitting blood out of his mouth, the policeman tensed, ready to scream when he heard the harsh sound of metal sliding against metal. Suddenly, something very sharp was pressed lightly against the side of his neck.

"I don't think so Ray. You want ta keep yer fucking head on yer shoulders, don't ya Ray?" Logan pulled back slightly so the other man could nod. "That's smart Ray, real smart. I got some things I'm gonna ask ya about. You lie ta me, I'm gonna start cuttin stuff off. You get me Ray?" Another nod. Moving his right land down, Logan let the back of his claw rest lightly on the other man's wrist.

"Where is she Ray?"

"What are you…please, whoever you are I don't know what you're talking about."

"Shit Ray, I hope the hell you ain't right handed."

"NO! Wait…this is about her isn't it? Look man I'm…I was going to call you, but she, I didn't know she could do that. She took me by surprise. Please give me another chance. I can find her for you." The terrified man paused to spit and when he'd gathered his shredded nerves to speak again it was in a pleading whisper. "I even know what she looks like, you know, for real."

All at once Logan understood. Whoever was out there looking for this mutant, they'd been at it for a while. Not only did they have their own people on it, they'd enlisted some of the police as well. A dirty cop like Garcia would be a natural recruit.

"Not gonna happen Ray," Logan sneered in a low, dangerous voice. "You got anything on her then ya need ta tell me. Now."

"You wouldn't," he squeaked, his voice breaking, "I'm a policeman. There'd be an investigation. You wouldn't want…" Suddenly he went absolutely still, as the barrel of his own gun was pressed against his right temple.

"You know how many cops kill themselves Ray? Kinda depressin what ya think about it. I might be guessin on this one, but I'll bet yer life the NYPD wouldn't miss you one damn bit. Now why don't you start tellin me what you know, unless you want ta find out if I'm right."

"Don't do it man ..I'll tell ya! Just… just take it away."

Logan eased the Glock away from Garcia's head, shoving it into the waist band of his pants. He needed to end this fast. The stench of the man's vomit and fear was making his eyes water. "Start talkin."

"Oh shit," Garcia groaned, more to himself then Logan. "I busted her a few times when she was hooking in Brooklyn. Figured out something wasn't right when I looked at some of her old case files. Same name, totally different face. So I staked her out, followed her around and I got lucky. Saw her get into a john's car. When he dropped her off a half hour later she looked completely different."

"But ya didn't take her in this time, did ya Ray?"

"Fuck no. It was the jackpot man. As a juvi, she had it made. Few months and their out again. A mutie, we have special places for them, places set up by people you don't want to know about. She told me she'd do anything to stay out of there. And she did. It was a real sweet deal for me, getting a free fuck any time I wanted."

He really wanted to kill him, just skin him alive. Instead he closed his eyes, clamping down hard on his anger. When he opened them again the other man was staring at him wide eyed, as if aware of how close he'd just come to a hideous death.

"Her name Ray, tell me her name."

"Dayla Green. That was the name on her fake I.D. the first time we picked her up."

Logan grabbed the man by his hair and yanked his head back. "You're fucking useless Ray. What the hell makes you think I'm gonna let you live when all you got is a name she ain't used in fuck knows how long?"

"WAIT…I…I don't need her name. I can pick her out anytime."

"How?"

"She's got a scar man. She can change her face, but no matter what she looks like she's always got that scar."

"Tell me about the scar."

"It's star shaped, just below her left ear. She hides it with make up, but every time she changes her face she's got to cover it again."

"You ain't makin sense Ray. You tellin me she can only change her face. Not the rest of her?"

"Yeah man…only her face. She can make her face look like anyone she wants."

Logan let go of the man's hair, pushing him back against the grimy wall. "What the hell was she doin at that club?"

"I don't know. Really…I don't. One of the door men, Eddie's his name, knows I was looking for her and that I'd pay money for any info. He called me on my cell, told me she was there."

"How the hell did he know it was her?"

"I…I don't know man. You got to believe I'd tell ya. I'm…I'm sorry she got away, but she took me by surprise."

"I got another surprise for ya Ray. I'm not gonna kill ya. I'll leave that for yer mutant hunting buddies." He hauled the other man around so they were face to face. Holding up his right hand, Logan let Garcia see the claws. Then he hit him, a short left jab that bounced the cop's head off the wall, collapsing him on the carpet out cold. Going to the nearest window, he parted the dirty curtains and peered into the darkness. It didn't take long to find what he was looking for.

Two men, dressed in identical expensive suits, loitering in the shadows on the other side of the street. Since they hadn't been there when he'd arrived, Logan figured that they had been following Garcia, hoping he would lead them to the girl. Walking back to the unconscious man, he dragged him over to a worn easy chair that faced the door. A quick search of the kitchen produced a nearly empty bottle of JD. After a fruitless search for a clean glass, he washed one out in the sink, poured himself some and drank it down greedily. Then he doused Garcia with the rest before putting the empty bottle on a small table in front of the chair, along with five hundred dollars. As an after thought he added the gun. Pocketing Garcia's keys after locking his door he casually took the stairs to the front entrance, stepping outside in full view of the men across the street. He looked straight at them, standing there long enough to make sure they knew, then strolled away down the cracked sidewalk, not bothering to look back.

He went back to the hotel and checked out, after paying to leave his bike in their underground garage. He walked to the subway, bought a ticket to Westchester, but got off half way there and found a place nearby that rented rooms. That night he slept fitfully, but with no dreams. His shower didn't work, so he did what he could with the sink and a wash cloth before checking out. After buying a cup of wretched coffee at a kiosk, he wandered down to the platform to wait for a train. He had thirty minutes to kill and he spent half if it staring at the phone, trying to decide who to call. He wasn't ready to talk to her and Xavier was out of the question, so he dialed up Summers instead. No answer, not even a message prompt. That worried him, so he called Marie. She picked up on the forth ring.

"Hey kid," he said quietly, waiting for the explosion.

"Logan? Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Relax kid, I'm fine."

"Damn you Logan," she muttered darkly, "gone for three days without a word to anyone where you are. Try again mister."

"I'm sorry Marie," he answered a little sheepishly. A part of him wanted to brush it off, tell her what he did wasn't any of her business, but he owed her more then that. "I'm in New York, least ways I'm gonna be as soon as the train gets here. Someone needed help finding a mutant."

"And you just remembered how to use a phone?"

"I'm fine Marie. You don't need to worry about me."

"Ah always worry," she replied sadly. "Ah'm not sayin ya have ta tell me what you're doin Logan. Ah won't say it doesn't matter, but Ah don't really expect it. Just tell me when you're leavin and when you're planning ta come back. Ah don't think that's too much ta ask."

"No it ain't darlin," he muttered feeling like the jerk he was. "I'm sorry for even makin you ask me that. I'll try to make sure it don't happen again."

"Good. I love ya sugah, but sometimes you can be a deeply stupid man."

"Not gonna argue with that. Everything ok there? I tried to call Summers, but he didn't answer."

That hurt, but she ignored it, thinking that he wouldn't understand why. "Jean's gravestone was delivered yesterday."

"Damn." He wasn't surprised at the bone deep regret that he felt. What did shock him was that it was more for Summers then him. "How's he holdin up?"

"It came just before dinner. They spent three hours fussin with it till he was satisfied. Then he stayed out there the whole night. Janet and Ah had to drag him in and practically shove him into bed."

"Sounds like you didn't get much sleep either."

"Ah couldn't leave him out there all alone. He didn't say anything, but I think it helped."

"Yeah," he answered, not knowing what else to say. "I gotta go Marie, train's gonna be here any minute. Have Summers give me a call, I need ta talk ta him."

"Logan," she said, then hesitated, not sure how he would take this. "You need to talk to her."

"Not now Marie," he replied, not pretending he didn't know who she was talking about.

"When?"

"I don't know kid. Don't seem like there's much ta talk about."

"Logan she ain't afraid of you, just what she saw. You gotta talk ta her."

"She should be afraid of me," he growled, suddenly angry at how much they trusted him. "All of you should. I ain't a good guy kid. Why can't you people get that."

She cursed under her breath, fingers suddenly itching to curl around his neck. "You know what, Ah'm really getting tired of this."

"What?"

"You know what Ah'm talkin about. This utter bullshit about how dangerous you are. Like we don't know? I'll tell ya sugah, most of the kids here sleep better at night knowin how dangerous you are."

"I…I ain't followin ya kid."

"We know Logan. We know you'd do anything to keep us safe. We know you're dangerous, but not to us."

"Marie I…"

"No! I don't want to hear it. We trust you Logan. I don't know why you can't see that but you better get your head out of your ass and start lookin."

"Sorry kid I still don't think…hey kid trains' here. I gotta go."

"Logan wait! Please promise me you'll call her. She loves ya Logan. Ah know that scares you, but it's a good thing. For both of you."

"I don't know Marie," he said dubiously. "Maybe yer right, at least for me. But I can't see it being good for Janet." Before she could answer he broke the connection.

"Fuck," she exclaimed, frustrated and angry at his stubbornness.

"You got that one right chica."

Marie was so startled she nearly fell off the bed. Her room mate was standing just inside the half open door, dressed in shorts and a tank top, having just returned from her morning run. "Jubes, what are ya doing here?"

"Listening to my best friend fuck me over." It wasn't the flat tone of Jubilee's voice, or what she said that made Marie wince. It was the anger, something she'd seen directed at any number of people in the time she'd known the girl, but never at her.

"Jubes, please…"

"Save it Rogue, whatever you wanna say, I don't what to hear it."

"Come on Jubes, you know it wasn't…you need ta understand, Logan ain't ever gonna see you the way you want him too."

"Yeah, I understand," she hissed, her face twisting into a sneer. "You just don't think I'm good enough for him, do ya? Can't have your Logan hooking up with a whore, even if you say she's your friend."

"No fucking way! Don't you **ever** say that about yourself!" Now it was Marie's turn to get angry. "Ah am your friend damn you and Ah've **never**...Jubes you know that's not true. Ah'm sorry, cause Ah know how you feel and Ah should have said somethin to ya. But Ah'm not gonna apologize for thinkin that Janet is what he needs."

"Sure thing Rogue. I can see how much better off he'd be with someone who's scared of what he is."

"That's not fair. Janet ain't afraid of him. It's what she saw. Logan fighting Sabertooth, any normal person would be scared of that."

"That's right, any fucking **normal** would. She doesn't belong here, not with us and not with him. She's only gonna get herself killed."

"Have you ever talked to him about how you feel," Marie countered softly. She knew the answer, which was confirmed by her friend's silence. "You tell me ya want him Jubes, but ya really don't wanna know how Logan feels about that, do ya?"

Jubilee looked away, slowly shaking her head. Instead of answering, she shuffled over to her dresser and pulled out a change of clothes, then left without looking back. Rogue wanted to call out to her, but she knew that now wasn't a good time to talk. She felt a headache coming on, a dull throbbing pain that radiated from the back of her head. She needed to find Hank. Maybe he had more of those sleeping pills they'd given to Scott.

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He took the train to Staten Island, then caught a cab back to Manhattan, checking into an older motel in the Meat Packing district. The Iroquois had once been a glamorous destination, but that was long in the past. From the dirty carpet in the lobby, to the pealing paint in it's outdated dusty rooms, it screamed low rent. After leaving his bag in the room, he headed out to the nearest bar that had a pool table.

A couple of hours later, three hundred and change richer, he headed over to the dance club (Floyd's…what kind of name was that) to talk to Eddie. The safe thing to do would have been to hang out till closing and follow that man back to where ever he lived. Then he could chat with him in private. But he didn't want to wait that long, so instead he approached Eddie soon after the club opened, before things got busy.

There were two men working the door, a normal sized white guy and one very large black man. Logan figured with his luck, that one would be Eddie. He waited until the crowd at the door, what there was of it, thinned out and then walked up to them.

"I'm lookin for a guy named Eddie"

Of course, the black guy. "Yeah, what do ya want?"

Logan held up two hundred dollar bills. The guy just laughed at him, shaking his head.

"You don't need to pay nothing to get in here tonight. Hell, even when we charge a cover on weekends, it's only twenty bucks."

Now it was Logan's turn to chuckle. "Do I look like someone who'd want ta be in there?"

"No ya don't man. So what's the money for?"

"I'm lookin for someone. Thought ya might be able to help me out."

"You're nuts man," Eddie answered, "I don't know anyone it'd be worth that much money to find."

"Sure ya do Eddie. Like that girl the cop tried ta pinch here the other night."

Up until then, Eddie had worn a big smile, but now that was gone. Now he looked like he wanted to twist Logan's head off. "Get away from me. I got nothin ta say ta you."

Most men had the good sense to clear out when he was like this. A few, the stupid ones, took his anger as some kind of challenge. But this guy, he was acting like he didn't care at all, and that was new.

"Why not Eddie? You didn't have any problem talking to Garcia."

"Motherfucker!" Logan could see the punch coming before the bigger man even started to throw it. He slipped slightly to his left, letting the blow graze his jaw so he could stay close. Then he grabbed him by the shoulder while hooking his left leg around Eddie's right one and used his superior weight and strength to force him down, landing solidly on top of the squirming man.

"Damn it Eddie, stop fightin me!" No doubt about it, the guy was pissed. Logan had assumed that Eddie was working with Garcia, but from his reaction he wasn't so sure. Why fly off the handle like this? Giving the bigger man a shove, he rolled off, bouncing lightly to his feet. Eddie pushed himself up and the two men stood warily facing each other.

"You tell that asshole," the man screamed, "that if I ever seem him again I'll beat his ass into the ground!"

"Will you just shut up and listen. The cocksucker told me you ratted her out to him, but it looks ta me like he was lyin ta both of us."

"You're damn right he lied to me! Told me he knew her, hell he even told me…hey, why the fuck are you askin about this anyway?"

"Eddie," he bit out, "I don't have time for this shit. I already know she's a mutant. That's why I need ta find her."

"So that's it huh. No way I'm helping some racist bastard track her down."

Logan groaned, then shifted slightly so the bigger man was between him and the people loitering around the club's door. Holding up his left hand, he popped his middle claw, "Fuck you Eddie."

"Sweet Jesus, you're one too!"

After he'd calmed down a little, Eddie told the other door man he was taking a break. He lead Logan inside, to a table in the back behind the bar. As it turned out, Eddie Barton knew a lot of mutants and was very interested in meeting more of them. Especially if they were women. Logan was a little puzzled. While he'd known men who'd developed some very specific tastes when it came to women, this was the first time he'd met anyone with a fetish for the genetically enhanced.

"That how you got ta know this Dayla?"

"What! No fucking way man. She's…well when we first met up she was sixteen, I think. Some stupid fucker was slapping her around, so I kicked his ass, but good.."

"Relax would ya. I mean considerin that she's a hooker, I had ta ask."

"That what Garcia told you? She ain't workin the streets no more, not since she turned eighteen."

Logan cursed, angry at the time he'd wasted. Still, at least he was a step ahead of the competition now. He knew if he wanted to stay ahead he'd have to move fast.

"I need to find this kid. She's got some very bad people after her. You got anything you can tell me that's gonna help me out?"

"That's the thing man, when I saw her the other night, it was the first time in six months. I was getting worried ya know, so when Garcia asked about her I made him a deal. Told him that I'd keep an eye out and let him know, if he'd do the same for me. We both know how well that worked."

Logan rubbed his forehead, thinking that if it wasn't for his mutation he'd probably have a headache by now. Fishing a small pad of paper out of his pocket, he wrote his cell number down and gave it to the other man along with the two hundred dollars.

"If ya find out anything, give me a call." Seeing the other man's hostile expression, Logan realized he'd made a mistake. "I ain't bullshitting you Eddie. This kids got a world of trouble comin down on her.'

"I don't know. You seem alright, but I thought Garcia was bein straight with me too."

"How about this. You see this kid, you give her my number. That way it's up to her."

"I can do that," Eddie agreed. "Man, I hope you're wrong about this."

"I wish I was." Logan stood up and started to leave, but Eddie's voice stopped him.

"Hey wait, just thought of something. They wouldn't tell me jack, cause I ain't a mutant. But they might talk to you."

"What are ya talkin about?"

"Genetic Delights. It's an escort service. Dayla works for them."

"Thought you said she was done with that shit."

"No, I said she was done working the streets. Last time I saw her she told me she was gonna sign up. Better pay, more security, and they really wanted her since they only use mutant women."

"Let me get this straight Eddie," Logan asked, his tone conveying disbelief, "guys know that these gals are mutants and they don't mind?"

"It's the hottest service in New York right now. I can tell ya, it's damned hard to find a mutant babe when you want one."

"Just tell me where I can find this outfit." He have to tell Xavier, whenever he decided to talk to him again. Then again, the old man probably already knew about it.

It was nearly nine o'clock when he arrived, the cab depositing him at the address Eddie had given him. Instead of the rundown building in a disreputable neighborhood that he had expected, he found a steel and glass tower at least forty stories high. He double checked the address, saw that it was the right one, and shrugged.

Walking up the stairs and through the glass doors, Logan entered a small lobby. There was an empty reception desk and another set of glass doors, through which he could see a bank of elevators. Unfortunately the doors were locked. He was about to spring the claws and cut his way in, when he noticed one wall was covered with what appeared to be intercoms, each one of which had a brass nameplate. It took a few minutes, but he found one that said Genetic Delights. He pressed the call button repeatedly, but no answer came. He was about to turn away in disgust when the tiny speaker came to life.

"Yes, can I be of assistance?"

"Yeah, I need ta talk to someone about an escort."

"I'm sorry sir, have you ever used our service before?

"Hell no."

"Well, you need to fill out our prospective client form. You can find it on our web page. After that, we send you an e-mail with your interview time."

Interview? Shit he thought, this could take forever. He needed to find Dayla right away and this was the best lead he had. "I ain't here for an escort darlin. I need ta talk to…"

"I'm sorry, " the disembodied voice interrupted, "are you here in response to our add?"

"Uh…yeah that's it, I'm here to fill the position."

"Please turn around and face the security camera."

He did as the voice asked. His sensitive ears caught the faint clicking sound the camera made as it zoomed in on him. After several seconds her heard a buzz and the glass doors opened.

"Take the last elevator on the left to the twenty-third floor, then proceed to your right to the end of the corridor."

Within a few minutes, he was standing in front of opaque glass doors. Written across them in gold calligraphy six inches high was, "Genetic Delights: The Next Step In Sexual Evolution." Shaking his head he pushed through into a reception area, which featured comfortable looking black leather furniture and life sized photographs of women who were obvious mutants, all fully dressed in what even he could tell were expensive evening gowns. One in particular caught his eye. She looked like a cat, right down to the whiskers, but with the generous curves of a woman.

"Good evening Mr…?"

"Logan." The woman who came out of the inner office was stunning. Her delicate face was framed by white and gold feathers, which also covered her arms, upper chest, and the generous amount of leg that was exposed by the tiny black dress she wore. Probably the rest of her as well he realized, finding that he really wouldn't mind a visual confirmation of that theory.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Mr. Logan. I have to admit that we're not quite prepared for you. We didn't expect anyone to respond for at least several more days."

He shrugged, not sure what he could say since he didn't have any idea what the hell he was responding to. "I'm Blysse by the way, Blysse Morgenstern, but I don't really use the last name much any more." She walk over to a steel cabinet and pulled out a folder. "Preference," she called over her shoulder.

"Huh?"

"I thought you were new at this. Male or female Mr. Logan?"

"Shit! Women damn it, that's my…preference." He was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.

"Mr. Logan. While I have to admit that you seem to have all the physical requirements for this position, that is not enough. I believe that some etiquette training is called for here." She handled him a form and a pen. "Please fill this out completely."

The urge to growl was overwhelming. "Look…Blysse, you're right. I ain't ever applied to somethin like this before. Why don't ya tell me how it goes."

"Of course. After you fill out this form, Vanessa, who is our executive director, will interview you and personally test your skills."

That sounded good. If anyone in this nutty place could provide him with the information he needed, it should be the executive director. He sat down at a table, looked at the first question and did growl.

"Is something wrong Mr. Logan?"

"Hell yeah. This first question. 'What is the nature of your mutation?' That ain't any of your fucking business."

"Mr. Logan," she said slowly, like a teacher correcting her wayward student. "This position is open only to mutants. That was stated clearly in the advertisement. Naturally, we need to know if you are indeed a mutant, as well as the nature of your mutation. Some gifts preclude this line of employment, due to the danger they represent to our customers."

"I don't think I'm gonna…"

"Please," she interrupted, "I know how difficult this can be, especially for someone who isn't an obvious mutant. But I can assure you that anything you share with us will be held in the strictest confidence. Besides," stopping at this, she gave his a very slow once over, "from what I can see, you're perfect for the position."

"Look, I'll tell you, but I ain't gonna write it down. I'm a healer." They didn't need to know the rest of it, especially the claws.

"A healer," she squeaked in delight, "oh my god, that's perfect. You're going to be very popular Mr. Logan. Our female clients are going to be very happy with you."

Son of a bitch. Suddenly he realized just what position he was applying for. While it was true that he needed a career change, this wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind. Still, he couldn't deny that there were certain fringe benefits. Chuckling to himself, Logan proceeded to fill out the form, putting down whatever he felt like. Until he got to question number twelve.

"Uh…Blysse, this question here."

"Yes?" She walked up to him, peering over his shoulder.

"Ain't really sure. I don't usually have a ruler handy. Couldn't I just put down 'big enough' and leave it at that?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Logan, but exact information is required. While the way you use it is certainly much more important, our clients do have certain…expectations."

"Right." He bent over the paper and wrote his answer. Then he looked at her and saw the raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure that's not just wishful thinking?"

"Damn sure. If ya want to verify it, I got no complaints darlin."

"Oh, that would be fun," she answered quickly, then frowned. "But I'm scheduled to meet a client in thirty minutes and I don't think he'd appreciate that."

"Fair enough." He quickly finished the form and handed it to her. "So where's this Vanessa. I'd really like to get this over with."

"Mr. Logan, you don't expect…she isn't here tonight."

"Then where the hell is she?"

"I'm not sure. But don't worry, I should think that when she has seen your application, and the photograph, she will be most eager to interview you."

"Can ya give me an idea of when that would be?"

She consulted a schedule on her desk. "I would think next Tuesday."

"What! I don't have that fucking long to wait darlin."

"Well I'm glad that you are so eager to get started, but this is a very busy time. Right now she is in the midst of interviewing a number of women. You wouldn't believe how good business has been lately. I am sorry, but until she as finished…"

"Ok darlin, I get the picture." No way in hell could he wait five days. He gave the place a quick once over. Breaking in wouldn't be that hard. Or maybe he could have Summers bring Pryde down. Then it came to him. Yeah he thought, that could work.

"So," he said, trying to sound casual, "you need more gals?

"God yes! I mean, it's been two weeks since I've had a night off. My boyfriend is starting to get…frustrated."

I'll bet, he thought. "Got a friend you might be interested in. She's over six feet, a real looker, with incredible chocolate brown skin, snow white hair, and really big…"

"She sounds perfect," Blysse interrupted, glancing at her watch. "Send her in tomorrow. Vanessa is usually here by eleven."

A few minutes later he was on the street, beginning to get a little worried. He wondered if he just shouldn't show up by himself. But he needed these people to cooperate, and he wasn't sure if he could get that by threatening them. No, using Storm was the smart way to go. That is, if she didn't kill him first.

**Don't forget to review!**


	27. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thanks to all who are taking the time to read this, and a special thank you to Ria, Dee, Ro, and Bloody eyes for your reviews. Any input that you can share with me would be greatly appreciated. **

Chapter 26

Instead of hailing a cab, Logan elected to walk back to his hotel. Maybe if he was lucky, some idiot would try to mug him. He needed the extra time to think of exactly how he was going to ask Ororo to apply for a position as a high class mutant hooker. The anxiety he was feeling quickly turned to irritation when his cell started ringing. That was, until he saw the number. Then he was just plain pissed.

"What the hell do ya want Summers?"

"Rogue said that you needed to talk to me. She seemed to think it was important."

"Yeah it is. That was twenty hours ago. What took ya so long?

"Some of us have responsibilities Logan," came the clipped reply. "I had to take the plane up to Canada. Kurt couldn't get across the border, so I picked him up outside of Halifax and flew him back."

"The elf's back? Good. Was wonderin when he'd make it." Actually Logan had never thought he'd see the demon-like mutant again. Despite the vague promise Wagner had made to Xavier about returning, coming back to the states, where his attack on the president made him persona non grata with federal authorities, seemed stupid to him.

"I'm tired Logan. So why don't you tell me what the hell you want so I can get some sleep?"

"Gotta problem I'm workin on. Somethin Fury asked me ta do. Thought it was best ta handle it alone, but I ain't so sure now."

"Wait a minute. You're asking for help? My help? Who are you and what have you done with Logan?"

"Do ya want ta hear about it or not. Like you said, it's late."

"Fine. What's this all about?".

"Been looking for a girl that Fury thinks is connected to a group of kids the cops are after. Word is the kids are mutants, we know for sure that she is. Don't have the first clue about who or where these kids are, so I've been tryin to find her. She got into a little scuffle with a cop at a dance club in the Village. His report fingered her as a hooker, so when I came down here I started out lookin near the club, talkin to some of the working girls. None of them knew anyone like what I was lookin for, but I managed to dig up one interesting piece of info. There's someone else after her."

"Government?"

"Don't know for sure, but I don't think so. They ain't actin like they're official. No badges or I.D.'s, nothin like you'd expect if they were feds."

"Some hate group then. FOH maybe, or Church of Humanity?"

"I don't think so Cyke. But whoever they are I need ta find this girl before they do."

"Do you know what she can do? I could check the data base."

"She's a shifter, but a damn peculiar one. The only thing she can change is the way her face looks."

"I've never heard of a shape-shifter who could only alter their facial features."

"Damn. Go ahead and check it any way. She used to go by the name of Dayla Green, but it's probably a fake and that was a while ago."

"I'll see what I can do," Scott answered dubiously, "anything else?"

"Yeah," Logan responded, keeping his tone casual. "Got a new source. Someone who knows her told me where she works. Only problem is, I don't think they'll talk to me."

"I wonder why," Scott snorted, "must be the charming personality. We could have Xavier talk to them."

"No, I'm thinkin Ororo would be better."

"Why Storm?" Logan couldn't help but notice the change in his voice. From tired and listless to something like suspicious.

"Cause Chuck ain't exactly what they're lookin for at Genetic Delights."

"Genetic Delights? What the hell is that, some kind of bakery?"

Logan was damn glad that he wasn't drinking anything at that moment. As it was, it took him a while before he could stop laughing long enough to answer. "Cyke, it's an escort service. A mutant escort service. Right now they're looking ta fill some new…positions."

"And you want…are you out of your fucking mind?!"

"It's the only lead I got," he answered defensively. "This Dayla works for em and I'm hopin they'll know how to find her. I don't think they're gonna tell me, but I'll bet they'd talk to Ro."

"Logan," Cyclops drawled, "if you want to kill yourself, there are less painful ways. Trust me, this isn't a good idea."

"No shit," he muttered, "but right now it's the only one I got. It ain't like she's gotta do anything. It's just an interview."

"I can't wait to see you explain that to her. When do you need us there?"

"Us? Why the hell are you comin?"

"Are you kidding," Scott asked incredulously, "no way am I going to miss this."

"Damn it Summers," he growled, "this ain't no fucking joke."

"You'd better hope Ororo thinks it's funny," came the smug reply. "And if she doesn't, well then, just think of me as your life insurance policy."

"That really makes me feel better Summers. Just make sure ya get there on time."

Logan gave him the time and address and broke the connection before the other man could manage another smarmy comment. Rather then head straight back to his hotel, he took a less direct route, one that afforded numerous drinking opportunities. He had just emerged from the forth such opportunity, one with the unlikely name of Stanley's Slop Joint, when he caught a scent that seemed familiar. He paused to fire up a fresh stogie, while he tried to place it. Two bars back, right before he'd gone in. There was one other thing. Whoever it was, they were a mutant.

Logan's olfactory abilities made him into a kind of nasal Cerebro. Every mutant he'd ever run into could be identified as such by their scent. It was a subtle thing, mixed in with the personal, distinctive odor that was unique for each individual. Though he'd been aware of it as long as he could remember, it wasn't until he come to Xavier's that he'd finally understood just what that scent was. He'd toyed with telling Xavier about it, but for reasons he didn't entirely understand had kept the information to himself. Catching the same scent twice couldn't be a coincidence, especially when it belonged to a mutant.

He took in the surrounding area, quickly dismissing the couple that walked past him and into Stanley's as well as the cluster of men off in the shadows to his right passing around a joint. He took another sniff. There, off to the left, across the street about half way down the block. Two people, a teenage boy and a girl who might be twenty. Chomping down on the cigar, he moved toward them, wishing like hell he had Marie or Jubilee with him. He could tell the exact moment the boy caught sight of him. It was when he looked like he was about to crap his baggy, rapper jeans. He was short, scrawny, and looked like he was going to rabbit at any moment. He was also the source of the scent Logan had recognized from before. He dismissed the kid, focusing on the girl instead.

She was a few inches under six feet, wearing a dark green tank top that bared a pair of very muscular arms and showcased a fairly substantial rack. A short black skirt, fishnet stockings and a pair of black leather boots just added to the tough girl effect she was going for. Then there was the smirk she wore as she held his gaze, one hand on her hip, the other palm down on the hood of a beautiful cherry red 1968 Mercury Cougar. Her hair was short, black and spiky except for the long unruly dark green bang that partly obscured her left eye. And just like the other kid, she was a mutant. As Logan approached he looked a little closer and realized he'd been wrong about something. He'd assumed the boy was afraid of him, but is was pretty obvious from the looks he was giving her that she was the one that scared him. He stopped about five feet in front of her and took a discrete sniff. Bingo. Dayla's scent was all over her.

"Nice ride ya got there kid."

She laughed, then gave him a very slow once over, the smirk changing to a lop sided grin. "You wanna ride my ride old man," she asked, chuckling again. "Sorry gramps, not my type."

"Ellie, come on, not here." The boy was nervous, his eyes shifting from her to Logan and back again.

"Shut up Mick. I'm just gonna talk to gramps here."

"Please Ellie, don't…"

"I said shut it," she barked, glaring at the kid, who promptly clamed up. When she looked at Logan again the smirk was back. "Gramps, we don't have a lot of time here so I'm gonna bottom line it for you. Tell me what the fuck you're doin or I'm gonna make you wish you were dead."

"Ain't tellin you shit kid. I'm looking for Dayla. Tell me where she is and then we can all have a nice little chat."

"I don't think so gramps," she sneered, before fishing a pair of black leather gloves out of the top of her right boot and slipping them on. "She isn't Dayla now. She don't fuck old bastards like you for money no more and even if she did I ain't no fucking pimp. Besides, you can't fool me, this isn't about you getting some. Last chance asshole, and you'd better make it good."

He sighed, fed up with all this bullshit. Time to speed things along. "Hell kid, I can make it real good for ya, but ya just ain't my type. I don't fuck mutie bitches."

She swung her right hand wildly, no technique, just anger and brute strength. As it turned out, she had more then enough of that. There were at least dozen ways he could have avoided the blow, some simple blocks, others that would have allowed him to strike back with deadly force. Instead he just stood there and allowed her to punch him right in the jaw. While it wasn't a mistake, it was damn painful. The next thing he knew he was slamming into the side of the building that a moment before had been twenty feet behind him, then sliding down to the pavement while loose bricks and mortar rained down on his still ringing head.

"Fuck!" The pain he could deal with, but that was his last cigar. As his vision cleared he could see her shaking the hand she'd just clubbed him with.

"Are you crazy Ellie? Danni said to talk to him, not break his face."

"Like I care." She tossed him her keys. "We'll put him in the trunk. Once we get back I'll make…"

"That was a good one kid. Been a couple o' weeks since anyone hit me that hard." Pete, armored up in the Danger Room. He'd actually blacked out for about ten seconds. McCoy wanted to find out how hard the kid could hit, which was pretty damn hard as it turned out. Pushing himself to his feet, he wiped the blood off with the back of his hand and cracked his neck.

She took a couple of steps toward him, her gaze riveted to the sight of his bruised and bloodied face being made whole again. "So you don't fuck mutie bitches gramps? Guess I'm just going to have to do more damage this time."

"Yer welcome ta try kid. Or we could just call it quits and you could take me to Dayla. Yer choice."

Her answer was to bull rush him. He couldn't have asked for a better opening. Slipping to his left, he causally drove his right elbow into her ribs, then took a step back before delivering a side kick that connected with her head just above the ear and sent her tumbling into the side of the building. It felt like he'd kicked an engine block, the jarring impact throwing him slightly off balance. Then she was on her feet, screaming obscenities and coming at him, her face twisted with rage.

This time he ducked under her failing arms and delivered a short over hand punch to the stomach and…his hand rebounded like he'd hit a solid block of rubber as she grunted from the blow, grabbing for him. Logan leaned away, snatched her out stretched arm and quickly turned, using her momentum and his extended leg to throw her into a parking meter.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for that," she screeched, picking herself slowly off the sidewalk.

"Sure ya are kid," he grunted, rolling his eyes. From what he'd seen so far, there was no way that was going to happen. Sure, she was stronger, but it was pretty damn obvious to him that she didn't know the first thing about fighting. He should have known better, feeling smug wasn't ever a good thing, especially in a scrap. But that went away pretty fast when she latched onto the parking meter she'd just rammed into with both hands and wrenched it free of the sidewalk.

"I'm gonna shove this down your fucking throat!"

He chuckled, slipping easily away from the wild swing as she used the meter like a club. A loud crack echoed down the street when metal met concrete and he realized that he had to end this fast or the cops would be showing up. He dodged another swing, backpedaled as she came on, pressing her attack savagely. Every miss just fueled her anger, making her onslaught more furious. He danced away from a few more swipes, until he had her right where he wanted, with her back to the side of the building she had smashed him into.

"Ya know kid, yer fucking pathetic. Why don't I make it easy for ya. Go ahead, take yer best shot." For a moment she hung back and he cursed this sudden appearance of common sense. Then she grinned and lunged forward, aiming the makeshift club at his head.

SNICK! His right hand flicked out, slicing the meter off just above her hands. Seeing the knives suddenly come out, Ellie recoiled in shock and fear. That gave him the space he needed to snap off a round house kick that caught her in the chest and sent her reeling back against the building. Before she could recover he stepped forward, until the tips of his claws were just inches from her throat. Her eyes widened and she swallowed, her scent instantly changing from anger to fear. Seeing her tense, he shook his head.

"Don't move," he rumbled. She went still and he nodded, grateful that at least she wasn't prone to panic. "That's the first smart thing you've done kid."

"What the fuck are you," she asked in a shaky voice.

"I'll be askin the questions. Why did you hit me?"

"Why are you going around asking people about Danni?"

"Who the fuck is Danni?"

"Danni is Dayla, it's her real name," she huffed eyeing his claws.

"You mean the one she's decided ta tell ya. So kid, was trying ta punch me out her idea, or did ya think this one up on yer own?"

"She wanted me to find out who you were working for. I'm sure she didn't give a shit how I did it."

"Ya know, ya might o' tried just askin me."

"Fuck off old man! What gives you the right…"

"These do," he bit off, waving his claws right under her nose. "Just shut up and listen. You, yer buddy Dayla or what ever the fuck she calls herself now and any other mutie kids yer running with are in some deep shit. Ya got the cops after ya, plus at least one government agency, along some other bunch of pricks that I don't know jack about."

"And you're helping them, helping the fucking normals rounds us up!"

"If I was helpin em, why the hell would I be talkin ta you kid?"

There was a car approaching from behind him. From the sound, he could tell that it was a large one, a big sedan or SUV. It was also driving slower then the speed limit, which pretty much never happened in this city.

"I ain't tellin you anything asshole."

"Fine. I call the cops and they can…"

His ears told him that the car was slowing down about the same time that his nose caught a whiff of that unique scent that comes from a well oiled gun. So when Mick screamed a warning he wasn't exactly surprised. Instinct told him to dive for cover behind the girl's car. Instead, he retracted his claws and drone his shoulder into her ribs, sending them both sprawling onto the sidewalk, him on top. She tensed, screamed in his face and brought her hands up to shove him off. Then the shooting started.

Bullets slammed into him, some ricocheting off when they struck bone, others plowing into him with a meaty thump, tearing up his insides, forcing howls of agony from his lips. After several seconds the firing ceased, and he slumped down, sliding partly off her, fighting the blackness that tried to claim him. He could feel his mutation at work. It was a burning deep inside him, a fiery pain that danced along his skin as the jagged wounds began to close. Leaning in close to the girl's ear he whispered softly, "wait for it." Car doors opened and footsteps sounded, coming towards them. He could make out four of them. Then a commanding voice.

"Fools! If you have injured her, I'll have you skinned alive."

"Sir, you read the files just like we did. Only multiple bullet wounds have any chance of taking him down."

"You really believe that crap they gave us? Did you even read the dates on those reports? They were over thirty years old. Heals from any wound. Does he look like he's healing to you? Besides, if he's so tough, how is it that he's lying there in a pool of his own blood?"

Logan could feel the girl literally shaking with fear, but he didn't look, careful to keep himself completely still. He needed them to get as close as possible. When the footsteps stopped, he figured from the sound that they were at least five feet away. Not close enough.

"Are you hurt girl?" He felt the slight motion of her head shaking. "Good. Now push that carcass off and stand up, very slowly. We know what you can do and if you disobey in the slightest you'll end up just like him." Slowly she rose to her feet. "Step away from him." After she obeyed he heard someone come near and smiled.

"Sir, he's still alive. Be careful."

"Yes, you appear to be correct. That's something I intend to remedy right now. Take her back to the car. If she tries anything, shoot her any where you want, as long as it doesn't kill her."

A scrape of shoe against sidewalk. He could feel the man looming above him gun in hand. As soon as he felt the shoe nudge his ribs he unsheathed his claws and swung his left arm around taking the man's foot off at the ankle. The scream and the gun shot were simultaneous, but having an appendage sliced off tends to spoil a person's aim, so the instead of hitting his head the round ripped through the top of his left shoulder. Rolling to his feet he came at the other three in a crouch. Two of them got off a shot, with one bouncing off his forehead, then he was on them. His left hand lashed out, claws tearing into the soft flesh of a face, carving through both eyes as well as his nose and mouth. As the man fell over, gurgling in his own blood Logan kicked out, crushing the larynx of another, using the momentum from his strike to bring him around to face the third. A loud crack reverberated in his ears, the man's head slumping forward as his body slowly folded unto the street, after Ellie's hand pulled away from his broken neck.

Her face was twisted in sadness and anger. Glancing over her shoulder he saw why. Mick, lying in the street, blood pooling around his head from an obviously fatal wound. Before he could think of anything to say another shot rang out behind him, missing them wildly. He turned to see that man who's foot he had severed pointing his gun at him with a shaky hand. Slowly Logan approached, careful to keep himself between the girl and the weapon. The way he was bleeding out, it wouldn't be long. Not that his death would bother Logan in the least, but still, he wanted some answers.

"That gun ain't doin ya any good. Put it down."

"No…I think not. I have no desire to trust myself to your tender mercies." Before Logan could react, he pressed the weapon against his head and pulled the trigger.

"Shit!"

"What," he heard Ellie mutter, "the fucker deserved to die." He turned to look at her. She was on her knees next to Mick, her hand gently smoothing the blood soaked hair away from his face, rears spilling down her cheeks.

"Don't disagree with ya kid. Just wanted him ta hang around long enough ta talk ta me."

He padded the dead man down and found pretty much what he expected, which was nothing. As he stood up he heard the sound he'd been dreading for a while. Sirens, approaching fast.

"Come on kid, we gotta get outta here now."

He started checking the other corpses until he found what he was looking for, in the pocket of the guy who's neck Ellie had snapped. The keys to the SUV. As he took them he noticed a medallion peaking out from under his collar, attached to a sliver chain. He pocketed it, walking quickly over to her. She looked up at him, shaking her head.

"I don't want to leave him."

"I know kid, but staying ain't gonna help any. Come on."

Slowly she got up, but when she started toward her car he took her gently by the arm and lead her to the SUV instead. She didn't resist, but from her confused expression he knew some kind of explanation was needed.

"That's a sweet ride ya got kid, but it's not something ya want ta be using to avoid the cops."

Her head jerked around as the sirens came within range of her hearing. She looked at him, shrugged, then got into the passenger side. He quickly ran around and started the car. Careful not to drive too fast, he turned at the first intersection he reached. After that, he made several more turns in quick succession then drove straight for half a mile before turning into a dark alley and killing his lights. Several cop cars passed the alley about a minute later. After he was sure they hadn't been seen, he eased back out onto the road and drove another mile before turning into a parking garage. Finding a spot near the entrance wasn't hard at two in the morning, so he pulled into a stall and turned the engine off. She was just sitting there quietly, like she had for the entire drive, staring at her gloved right hand, which Logan suddenly realized was covered with the blood of her friend. He had to snap his fingers twice before she finally turned to glare at him.

"Kid, we need ta talk."

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He'd waited a good two minutes after the mutants left before he placed his call, just to make sure they weren't coming back. The cops arrival probably guaranteed that wouldn't be happening, but if his work had taught him one thing over the years, it was to expect the unexpected. He'd studied his briefing materials thoroughly, and unlike the sorry asshole who'd shot himself ten minutes ago right across the street, he'd taken them seriously. If it said the mutant had extraordinary hearing, then he was going to make damn sure that he couldn't be heard before he called in. As it was he had to wait another couple of minutes (on hold, how typical), before the boss got back to him. When he finally came on the line, he wasn't happy.

"What have you got Jenks?"

"He made contact with her about twenty minutes ago."

"Just tell me what happened."

"They had a little fight and then…"

"A fight, he didn't kill her, did he?"

"Hell no boss, just scared the shit out of her with those claws. You should have seen the damn things…"

"I have. Just tell me what happened."

"Ok boss. He'd just gotten the girl to stop fighting when the opposition showed up and started pumping him full of lead. Well, he goes down and I thought that's it…"

"How many were there?"

Four boss. Like I was saying…"

"What did he do after he killed them?"

"Well…uhm…he bundled the girl into the car they'd came in and took off."

"If you're talking to me, then I'm hoping for your sake that Bowens is tailing them."

"Of course boss, no worries. He text messaged me just before I called. They're at a parking garage a couple of miles from here."

"Good. Anything else I should know?"

"There was one other fatality. I think it was one of the muties that we're after. One of them just shot the kid in the head. The cops are all over the scene right now, so I can't see how we can keep this quiet. Something I don't get boss. I thought they wanted the muties alive, same as us."

So did I. Damn it, we have got to move on this. You're sure he isn't aware that you're tailing him?"

"We've followed the protocols to the letter. There's no way he can see us has long as we've got these suits on and we've been changing personal every two hours. He doesn't have a clue that we're on him"

"That's what Donald thought. Just don't lose him."

"Not a chance boss. You can count on us."

The only answer he got was a muffled obscenity before the connection was broken.

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He told her the truth, at least the truth as far as things stood now. He'd already decided that he was going to cut SHIELD out of this altogether. Despite how things were between Xavier and him at the moment, he trusted the old man a hell of a lot more then Fury. As soon as he got her to tell him where these kids were, he was taking them to Chuck's. So he explained to her about the mansion and how Xavier was more then happy to provide free room and board as well as protection to any mutant that needed it. No need to talk about the school at the moment. He didn't think that would be a selling point with this group. Understandably, Ellie was…skeptical

"Do you really expect me to believe this bullshit? Why would this Xavier guy even care what happens to us?"

"He's a mutant, just like us kid," he tried to explain. Seeing the look on her face he had to chuckle. "Yeah, I know. I didn't believe it at first either. But I've been there for a while and the guy's legit. You and yer buddies can check it out and if it's thumbs down, he wouldn't stop ya from leavin. Sides, I really don't see that ya got a choice."

"Why can't you all just leave us alone," she asked, her voice a mixture of anger and fear.

It was a damn good question in his opinion. Too bad he didn't have an answer that she would like. Because she was a mutant, the world was afraid of her. Because of the nature of her gift, she was an object of fear. Or in Xavier's case desire. Despite her lack of fighting skills, the girl had potential. Shit, he wouldn't want to take her on once she knew what the hell she was doing. There were certain people who'd do anything to get their hands on a kid with ability like this. With that thought things suddenly clicked, and he understood what this was all about.

He reached into his pocket and took out the medallion. It was a circle, with a grinning skull that was perched on top of six twisted tentacles. A voice, from some lost fragment of memory, echoed in his head. "Hail Hydra! Immortal Hydra! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off one limb and two more shall take it's place!"

A sick feeling settled in the pit of his belly, as he mentally cursed his own stupidity. They were looking for mutants just like before. Mutants with gifts that could be used. The rest, they'd end up like Mick, with a bullet in their head. Without warning, Ellie's hand shot out, grabbing him by the wrist, pulling the hand that held the medallion close to her face.

"Where did you get that," she whispered, staring at the little trinket like it was about to bite her.

"Took it off one of those goons back there."

"Why…why would they have it? What does it mean?"

"Hey…ya mind lettin go kid?" She released him, then held out her hand, which he noticed had started to tremble. He gave her the medallion, then reached up to turn on the dome light so she could see it better.

"What is it kid? You seen this before, ain't ya."

She nodded, and for a moment he thought she was going to puke right on his lap. Then she took a few deep breaths and got herself under control. "Please…just tell me why they had this?"

"It's cause they were part of an outfit called Hydra. I'm thinkin they all have one, kinda like identification or somethin." He didn't know why, but he was certain of that.

"No…no…no…," she mumbled over and over, rocking back and forth in the car seat. Logan grabbed her shoulder, but he had to squeeze hard before he could get her attention.

"Kid, Ellie…tell me damn it, what is it?"

"Danni….she…she wore one of these on a chain around her neck."

"Son of a fucking bitch! Are you sure kid?"

"Of course I'm sure! Who are these fucking people?"

"If she's wearin one of those, yer friend is mixed up with some evil bastards. They've been askin around about ya, just like me. Ellie, I ain't got time ta explain all this shit to ya. You need ta tell me where the hell these kids yer hangin with are hidin, and ya need ta do it now."

She looked at the grotesque thing she held in her hand, then she turned her gaze on Logan. Slowly her hand closed on the medallion until she'd crushed it into a tiny metal ball. Then she gave him an address that was in Brooklyn. Damn it he fumed, why did it have to be Brooklyn? He pulled the cell from his pocket and was surprised to find that it still worked, even if it was covered in his blood. He hit the speed dial and waited for an answer.

"Who are you calling," Ellie asked, grimacing at the sight of Logan holding the bloody phone to his ear.

"Reinforcements."

The ringing of the telephone jolted him awake. Irritated (he'd been have a pleasant dream, for a change), Charles Xavier grouped for the offending device, wondering who it could be. Not many people had this number.

"Hello, this is Charles Xavier."

"Hey Chuck."

"Logan? Where have you been? While I don't expect you to…"

"Just listen Chuck. I ain't got much time. I need ya ta get the team down ta Brooklyn, as many as ya can spare."

"Now? Logan it's nearly two o'clock in the morning. Surely this can wait…"

"No it can't. It's Hydra. As near as I can tell they're tryin to grab some mutant kids. I'm headin there right now and I gotta feelin I'm gonna be needin the help."

"I will send them right away. But Logan, it will probably be at least forty minutes before they could hope to arrive."

"Just tell Summers to get here as fast as he can. As it is I'm thinkin we might be too late."

"I will have Scott call you when he gets close. Logan, when this is over, we must talk."

"Can't argue with that Chuck." He gave Xavier the address and then hung up.

"Who's Chuck?"

"That's Xavier, Charles Xavier. Runs that place I was tellin ya about."

He started the car and pulled out of garage, making sure to keep to the speed limit. Ellie didn't say anything else until they'd almost reached the Brooklyn Bridge, just staring out the passenger window at the darkened, empty streets. It gave him a little time to think about what he had learned. The problem was, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. If this Danni really was working for Hydra, then why the hell were they looking for her? And for that matter, why were these kids still on the loose? Then there was the attack tonight. They must have been after the Ellie, because sending four guys after him was just stupid. That's what really had him worried. Whatever else those fuckers were, stupid wasn't on the list. If they had know where Ellie was, then they probably knew where the rest of them were holed up. After checking his rearview mirror, he increased his speed.

"I can't…I don't know if I can believe that Danni is working for these people."

He looked at her sideways, wondering if she was some kind of latent telepath. "How long have ya known her kid?"

"About three months. Yeah I know, it's not that long. But we're…well we're pretty close. I don't think she could hide a secret like that from me. I mean how could you…"

She broke off, turning away. Not that it helped any. He could smell the tears. He wished he could help her make sense of it, but he figured she wouldn't appreciate the lie. The truth was that betrayal was a lot easier then most people would like to think. He didn't know why he was sure of that, only that he felt it with a certainty that made him wonder if it was something that had happened to him more then once in his forgotten past.

"Look kid, until we can talk to yer friend there ain't no way ta know. When we get there ya can ask her yourself."

"Ask her," she responded testily, "how would I even know if she's telling me the truth?"

"I'll know."

After he crossed the bridge he turned south, driving past numerous large apartment buildings before passing into some kind of recreational area; dotted with baseball diamonds, soccer fields and even a large pool. He pulled into a parking lot about half a mile from their destination. Taking out the cell, he handed it to Ellie.

"Go ahead and call her."

"What! No way gramps! Why the fuck…"

"Damn it kid, just do what I fuckin tell ya. If she's answers then we can just hunker down and wait for the team."

She called him a few things that made him smile, then dialed up her friend. After half a dozen rings the voice message kicked in. Shaking her head she handed the cell back.

"Ok, guess we're gonna have ta do this the hard way. Let's go."

Leaving the car, they cut across some baseball fields and skirted the edge of a running track. The grass and trees ended abruptly, giving way to concrete and a series of worn and rusted steel structures. The reek of rotting things hung heavy in the air, a ripe combination that came from festering garbage as well as the decrepit state of the buildings and heavy machinery. Something was off, he just couldn't quite put his finger on what. Whatever it was, Ellie seemed to feel it too. When they'd first set off she seemed to know exactly where she was going. But after a few minutes she began to hesitate, stopping several times to look around, while muttering angrily at the encroaching darkness.

"You sure you know were yer goin kid?"

"No, I'm not."

"Great," he groaned quietly, "how the hell can you not…"

"Get off my back old man," she whispered fiercely. "I don't…we've only been here for five days alright. Besides, it not usually this dark."

That was it. No fucking lights. Places like this were usually lit up like Death Valley at high noon. Glancing up, Logan realized he was mistaken. The lights were there alright, attached to wooden posts, spaced at regular intervals. They just weren't working. It wasn't like he needed them to see, but the fact that they were all kaput meant trouble. Grabbing her hand, he lead her unerringly into the shadows, through the detritus and rubble that was scattered across their route. After a while she seemed to get her bearings, whispering directions while he continued to guide them safely through the industrial obstacle course. Gradually, the aroma of decay faded, the stale, salty tang of brackish water supplanting it. In short order, they emerged from a maze of broken and rotting pallets to stand at the river's edge.

"Crap," she groaned, "how the hell did we get here?"

Logan's comment, that he had no fucking idea, died on his lips. The wind, which had been blowing in off the water, had suddenly shifted bringing him myriad new scents. There was the sharp tang of chemicals, along with the individuals scents of dozens of people mixed with Kevlar and gunmetal. While he could tell that some were mutants, he had no idea how many. Only two of the scents were known to him. One was Danni ( or was it Dayla). The other he was all too familiar with, the stench of blood.

**Don't forget to leave a review.**


	28. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thank God it's finally done. Sorry it took so long, but for some reason this was really hard for me to write. Plus I moved to another house. Only two miles away, but you wouldn't believe how many book I have. In any event, if anyone out there is still following the story, the next chapter will not take as long. Thanks to Dee for the helpful suggestions and to Rhia for giving me a hand figuring out how to wrap this up.**

Disclaimer. Thought I should put this in, since it's been a while. I don't own the X-Men. I'm just borrowing them for fun.

They found the body lying face down in a ditch. Even with the stink of gore and Logan's night vision, he'd almost missed it in the darkness. There was a fist sized hole oozing brains and blood where the back of his head had been. Kneeling beside the corpse, Logan turned him over and saw the face of an old man, his expression strangely calm, almost like he'd fallen asleep on a sunny beach. Except for the bullet wound in the middle of his forehead. Ellie cursed quietly as soon as she saw the victim's face.

"You know him kid?"

"Yeah," she replied in a shaky voice, "that's Nate, the security guard. He…he knew we were sneaking in, but he didn't care. Who would do this to him?"

"Those Hydra fuckers I told ya about. They're already here."

"Why are they doing this," she asked, in a pleading voice.

He didn't know what to tell her. It wasn't like he'd really had a chance to think about what the hell was happening himself. But unless they'd moved on to other operations, he had to assume it was the same drill as the last time.

"Cause they want mutants kid. They want ya cause of what you can do."

"Like this Xavier guy you work for? Are you gonna tell me some more bullshit about how he only wants to help us?"

"I don't work for no one," he muttered darkly. He fished the old man's wallet out of his pants and stood up sniffing the air. "Chuck would be damn glad to have someone like you kid. Probably ask you right off to be on the team. But he ain't nothin like Hydra."

"How's that?"

"He don't kill people that tell him no."

"So, is that your job?"

"What's yer problem kid?"

"My problem?! You're my fucking problem. I got these Hydra shits figured. They think they can get something out of us and I totally understand that deal, even if I think it sucks. It's you I don't get old man. What do you and this Xavier dude want from us?"

"I don't speak for Chuck, so if yer still alive after we're done here ask him yourself. For me it's pretty fucking simple. These assholes are fixin to make you and yer buddies inta weapons. I ain't about ta let that happen."

"Why? Why do you give a shit?"

"We don't have time for this crap. Every minute we spend yapping gives Hydra a better chance of finding you pals. I got no problem with you thinkin I'm up ta something. If I was you I would. But right now, I'm all ya got."

"I don't need you old man. I could…"

"What kid," he interrupted, his tone mocking. "You couldn't even handle four of em. What the hell ya gonna do against twenty?"

She turned away shaking her head. After maybe half a minute she spoke again, in a quiet voice. "You are such an asshole."

"You ain't the first one ta tell me that. What say we can this bullshit and go see if we can do somethin about keepin these friends o' yours away from Hydra."

A few minutes later they were crouching behind a jumble of rusted metal drums, shielded from the harsh glare of the first working light they'd seen. Cautiously, Logan craned his head up for a look. The brightness, almost painful after so long in the dark, illuminated a nightmarish landscape. Cracked and shattered asphalt stretched out from their hiding place to a tall chain-link fence topped with razor wire that guarded a huge crumbling pile of bricks punctuated by broken windows masquerading as a building. Between the fence and the building were scores of barrels stacked haphazardly, some standing in pools of toxic sludge.

"What a dump," he grumbled, eyeing the decrepit structure in front of them in disbelief. "Why the hell did you guys pick this place?"

"It's better then it looks," she answered defensively, but from the expression on her face Logan could tell she wasn't exactly in love with it. "There's a room in the back, kind of like an office, that still has lights and running water." She turned away from him, sitting on the ground with her knees drawn up. "What do you want me to say? After Danni almost got pinched at the club she was frantic. Said that we couldn't stay in her apartment, that they'd find us if we did. At the time, I thought she was talking about the police. She picked this place. I…look, I know it's fucked up to be here, but I couldn't just leave her…or them."

"Yeah kid, I know how that goes."

He really did get what she was trying to say, because he felt the same way. Ever since he'd come to Xavier's, he'd always thought of himself as an outsider, a visitor who would eventually move on. He told himself repeatedly that he just didn't belong, that sooner or later Xavier would come to realize that his school was no place for an animal like him. The trouble was, he didn't want to be on the outside looking in and he sure as hell didn't want to leave. He didn't know quite what it was, but for the first time that he could remember he felt a sense of being part of other peoples lives and having them as a part of his. He realized that it was something he didn't want to lose, even if thinking about the idea of a home left him feeling jittery.

"So what are we going to do?"

Shaking off the distraction of his thoughts, he took another peek. The light shone on a section of the fence that could be rolled back, allowing access to the building beyond. Off to one side was a shack that looked like something a security guard would use. In the shadows by the building itself he thought he saw several shapes that could be vehicles. A few more seconds told him all he needed to know. Figures moving in the darkness.

"How the hell do ya usually get inta that…place?"

She started to stand, but Logan made a chopping motion that stopped her. "Nate would just open the gate for us."

"So, he'd be there all the time?"

"No, not always. What's wrong?

"We need ta find another way in. There's at least four or five o' them fuckers hanging around that gate. Don't think I could take care of all of em before they sound the alarm."

"Shit!"

"Seems like we're knee deep in it. How did ya get inside when someone else was watching the gate?"

"We dug a hole underneath the fence. It's on the other side of the building."

"That's gonna take too long," he grunted, wondering if he should cut his way in. The only problem he could see was that it seemed too damn risky. The fence was made to order for keeping those kids penned in, so they had to be keeping an eye on it. He figured that as many as half of them could be outside, waiting to scoop up anyone that made it out of the building. If he could get in the building without being noticed, he might be able to finish off the ones inside before they knew what was happening.

"There's another way in," she offered, "but you're not going to like it. It's a big pipe the empties into a drainage ditch. Mick checked it out, said it went all the way under the building. He had to take three showers to wash away the smell."

Lead the way kid," he ordered, stifling a groan. He wondered where the hell that dickhead Summers was right about now.

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An hour ago he'd been in bed, enjoying the first good night sleep he's had in days. Now Scott was flying Xavier's multi-million dollar jet, fighting to stay awake long enough for the caffeine to kick in. It was a losing battle. One call from Logan and the Professor had sent them off on an emergency mission to fight an enemy they didn't know jack about. But for Scott, the worst part of it was Xavier's decision to include Peter with the rest of the team. While he would eventually be a major asset to the X-Men, Colossus just wasn't ready for field work yet. As far as Scott was concerned, the whole thing was a recipe for disaster. A warning chimed sounded. He'd allowed them to drift off course again. Before he could react, Ororo's sure hand had already corrected the problem.

"Sorry Ro. Lucky for us someone is paying attention."

"It's alright Scott. Don't you think it's time that you called Logan? We are only a few minutes away."

It was the last thing he wanted to do. While he realized that Xavier was the one he really should be angry at, it was Logan that had set this fiasco in motion. Muttering to himself, he flipped a switch on the com. The hostile, angry voice that answered was pretty much what he expected. Except for one thing. It wasn't Logan's

"It's about time. Is this Summers?" Young. Definitely female. And not anyone he recognized.

"Who are you? Where's Logan?"

"Who?"

"The guy the phone you're using belongs to. Where is he?"

"Oh…you mean the jerk with the claws?"

"That would be him. Can you…"

"Sorry. He didn't…I didn't know his name."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Is he there? Can you please let me talk to him?"

"He's gone. He said he couldn't wait for you."

"Damn it! What the hell is going on?"

"Don't bitch at me! I don't have a clue. He said they were already here, that he could smell them. Well I'm sorry, but I didn't see, hear, or smell anything!"

"Please," he asked quietly, forcing his tone to sound relaxed, "I'm not blaming you, I just don't like this situation."

"You don't…you know something, he was right, you really are a dweeb. These are my friends those creeps are after and you don't like what's happening? Let me tell you something else you're not going to like. Getting my boot shoved so far up your ass you'll be able to taste leather. Cause that's what's going to happen if you don't get here right now!"

Scott opened his mouth, then closed it again, briefly toying with the idea that Logan had discovered some long lost ability to alter his voice. Before he could decide what to say a huge, furry hand reached over his shoulder and flipped a switch.

"My dear, please forgive my colleague. It was not his intention to upset you, but we need whatever information you can provide about this situation."

"Hey…are you Hank?"

"You are indeed correct," he answered, with a chuckle, "I am Henry McCoy, but everyone I know calls me Hank. Might I have your name?"

"It's Ellie, Ellie Ricci. He told me about you, said you were cool. Look, I'm sorry about before, but I'm really freaked about this shit."

"I realize how disconcerting this all must be for you Ms. Ricci, but time is of the essence. Can you tell us where Logan is?"

"He wanted to get inside the place my friends and I have been…well hiding in. Said he needed to find out what was going on in there. I showed him a way he could do it without those losers knowing."

"Ah…reconnaissance. That is certainly a worth endeavor. How close are you to this facility?"

"Uhm…Maybe three or four hundred feet. Are you going to be here soon?"

Hank's fingers danced over the keyboard of the plane's navigation council. Using the cell phone's signal, he was able to pinpoint Ellie's exact position and feed those coordinates to Scott and Ororo. Her location was highlighted on a satellite image of the area, which looked to him like some kind of scrap yard. The Blackbird dipped sharply and Hank tighten his harness as he prepared for landing, remembering those as rather rough, at least with Scott at the controls.

"We shall be there in a matter of minutes Ms. Ricci. Do you have any notion of how many of these cretins we shall have to deal with?"

"I don't know! Gramps…err Logan said he thought there was at least twenty of them. He said he could smell that many at least."

Hank glanced at Scott, seeing the grimace that this unwelcome piece of information evoked. While their intelligence on Hydra was sketchy, he didn't relish the prospect of facing that many of them, undoubtedly armed to the teeth. He wondered if Charles had known. Perhaps Peter wasn't quite ready to be on the team, but at least he was bullet proof.

"Ellie, how was Logan planning to gain access to this facility without alerting these men?"

"There's a big ass pipe. One of my…friends checked it out. It runs all the way under the building."

"A pipe? What kind of pipe?"

"Yeah. I think it was a sewer pipe." She couldn't be sure, but she thought she heard the sound of at least one person laughing. It wasn't Hank.

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The darkness was absolute, an almost physical thing that wrapped around him like a smothering cloak. With every step he struggled to remain upright, his bare feet slipping on the slick, slimy residue that covered the bottom of the tunnel like a thick paste. The fact that he couldn't see anything wasn't the worst part of it. He was damn glad he didn't have a good look at whatever the hell was squishing beneath his feet. It was the smell that really bothered him. A vile brew of heavy metals and sewage that made him retch more then once in the few minutes he been inside this damned hole. After a few hundred feet the tunnel had started to close in on him and he was forced to scrabble along in a half crouch to keep his head from slamming into the crumbling concrete roof. Every minute or so he stopped, using his hearing to probe the darkness, listening for any sign of what was ahead. Nothing but the drip of noxious liquids and the clicking claws of the rats fleeing his presence. Finally, the pipe bent sharply to his right and he felt it; the faint kiss of fresh air caressing his face.

His first impulse was to quicken his pace, but instead he forced himself to creep slowly forward until he was directly under the air flow. He ran his hand along the top of the tunnel and instead of rough stone he encountered the smoothness of steel. Just like she'd told him, a hole in the ceiling covered by a metal grate. There was still no light to go by, but the weak draft brought the smells of the mutants he was looking for, as well as those who would soon be his prey. Slowly he extended a single claw and sliced though the lock that held the barrier in place. He pushed it up slowly, wincing at the squealing noise made by rusted hinges. Grabbing the edge of the opening he quickly hoisted himself up. Pulling his Zippo out, he held it over his head and flicked it on.

He was in a huge room, most of it still hidden in shadows. Barrels were stacked neatly nearby, three or four high in rows along one of the walls, with more in metal racks that stretched to the roof. Others were scattered around the grate and when he nudged one he wasn't surprised to find it was empty. The crap inside had probably been dumped down the grate and from there had made it's way down to the river. Hell of a lot cheaper to get rid of the stuff by dumping it the ocean. It was a sweet setup, no doubt protected by some well placed bribes to the right officials. Not that he cared about any of that now.

Unexpectedly, he heard the door knob turning. He snapped the lighter shut and eased away from the opening, squeezing between two rows of drums. Through a small crack he gazed in the direction of the sound and saw the faint green glow of night vision goggles. Soft footsteps, coming near. Then the sound of hushed voices.

"This is a fucking waste of time. Already had this room searched."

"I know that. And you know damn well who was leading that team."

"Crap!"

"Yeah. They were in here for what, five minutes. He's a lazy asshole, but even he had to know it needed more time then that. Look at the size of this place."

"Should we call her." Even through the mask he was wearing, Logan could hear the fear in his voice.

"Not till we find something. You know how she is."

"Uh huh. Remember what she did to…Jesus Christ look at that!"

For a moment he tensed, thinking they'd somehow spotted him. They were close, he could tell by their voices. Suddenly, it hit him like a punch to the mouth. The grate! With difficulty he suppressed the urge to growl. He'd left the damned thing up. Slowly, he released the claws.

"You were right Four. They must have been here, the little shits! We'd better call this in."

"Not yet. We've got to be sure. Turn off the goggles Nineteen."

"What? Why do you…"

"So I can use the fucking flash light without burning your eyes out. Just do it."

As soon as Logan saw the bright beam he straighten up. They were about fifteen feet away, peering intently at the area around the hole. Silently he slipped out from his hiding place and moved to his right, so he could approach from behind.

"Damn…footprints. And they're fresh. She's gonna cut our balls off if those mutie brats got away."

"Moron! These were made by someone coming **_out_** of this fucking hole! We've got an intruder…"

Three long metal blades hammered into his back, piercing Kevlar, flesh and bone. He opened his mouth to scream and a bloody gout gushed out, spraying gore down the front of his tunic. Shuddering in agony, arms flailing weakly, his last sight that of his partners head rolling across the concrete floor. Logan retracted his claws and the carcass collapsed across the other man's decapitated torso. Quickly riffling through their equipment, he appropriated a silenced MP5 submachine gun and some extra clips, along with several flash bang grenades. After dumping the bodies into the tunnel he closed the grate. Garbage disposed of, he approached the smaller door, listening intently for any indication of trouble. Nothing distinct, just the muffled sounds of people moving, but not close. Turning the handle he cracked it open, slipping silently through.

Immediately his senses went into overdrive. The light was dim, a feeble thing that would have most people confused and stumbling around. Barely twenty feet to his left a skeleton of steel loaded down with metal drums extended along a wall, until it merged with the shadows. Directly in front of him a series of conveyor belts twisted like snakes around worn and corroded machinery. Past that the details faded into the gloom. Off to the right vague shapes that might be piles of boxes, arranged in a haphazard manner. At first he couldn't see any signs of people, but his nose told the real story. Over a dozen distinct scents filtered into his brain. Then suddenly, the beam of a flashlight winking on and off, followed quickly by another, coming from amongst the containers and then briefly from the far end of the disused assembly line. Crouching low, he scuttled along the wall until he reached the metal racks, quickly clamoring up the side.

A catwalk, little more then a narrow grate with a pathetic set of railings that barely came up to his thigh; bisected the top of the framework. He darted along it, careful to keep a low profile. After a few hundred feet there was a break in the form of a ten foot gap. Pausing a short distance from the edge, Logan tested the air, seeking some clue as to the location of the kids. The stink of Hydra operatives all around him made for a confusing scent pattern, but he thought he could smell at least two mutants in the direction he was heading. He was pretty sure that one of them was Danni. And something else. All around, a gentle pervading smell that surprised him. The smell of rain, coming through some of the broken windows along the outside wall. Twenty minutes ago there hadn't been a cloud in the sky. It was Storm, sending him a message. There was no mistaking the sudden flash of light and the low reverberation that followed. The team was here and getting ready to move. He cursed quietly, wishing like hell he'd kept his cell. He still had no clue where those kids were hiding and it didn't look like he had the time to find out. He'd just have to track down the scent he knew about and worry about the rest later. Backing up twenty feet he waited for the next flash. When it came he sprinted down the catwalk and launched himself through the air.

The jarring impact that rattled his teeth and the crack of thunder were roughly simultaneous as his shoulder and neck crashed on to the top of the rack's heavy metal framework. Desperately gripping a rail he pulled himself up and over the edge, then crawled a few feet down the catwalk before pausing to wipe the blood off his neck from a cut that had already healed. He listened intently for a few seconds, but there was no sign that he had been detected. Another peal of thunder sounded, but when that clamor died out Logan became aware of something else, a persistent rumbling like a train in the distance. Ororo was really living up to her name, and if the sound of that wind was any indication he damned well better get moving.

He tore along the catwalk, running as fast as he could. By the time he came to the end of the racks he'd didn't have to worry about being quiet. That steady rumbling had evolved into a roaring clamor that drowned out any noise he could make. Scrambling down the metal framework, he hit the ground running, his nose pointing the way. Cutting across an open area, Logan ducked through an unlocked doorway. Spread out before him were straight rows of wooded pallets, each with bags of dry chemicals stacked neatly on top. Danni's scent was overwhelmed by the smell emanating from the bags, most of which he identified as being some kind of nitrate based fertilizer. Hoping he could pick up the trail somewhere in the room seemed like his best option, so he continued on, slipping silently between the stacks, which loomed up on either side of him to a height of nearly seven feet.

He was almost to the end of the row when he heard a door open followed by the sound of running feet. A sniff told his him there were at least six of them, and there was a bonus. Danni's scent, along with the reek of fear and something else. Pain. He stopped in his tracks, plastering himself against the bags and waited. The Hydra agents pelted past, heedless of anything but their orders. Logan twitched with the urge to give chase, but he figured that he had to let Cyke and the others have some of the fun. He stepped out from the shadows, running over to the door they had just come through. Deep inside the building the power of Storm's wind was reduced to a dull, persistent rumble that hardly interfered with his hearing. From behind the door, he heard the cold commanding voice of a woman.

"I thought you were smarter then this. Why don't you tell me where the other mutants are? Sooner or later we'll find them and your stubbornness will not be forgotten." There was a pause, then the sound of flesh striking flesh. "You know I could use more…persuasive methods. Don't think that your value to us will save you from a traitors death."

"You…lied to me. You said…"

Another slap. "…that useful mutants were very valuable and would be treated well. As long as they were willing…to cooperate. It would be wasteful to harm them."

"Tell that to Krya and Jake."

"Their abilities were of no use to us. I told this. Why are you surprised?"

"You didn't tell me you'd kill them."

"Killing is what we do. The weak have no place in Hydra. If you want to be a part of us you must be willing to kill as we do."

His nose told him there were five people behind the door, not counting Danni. By the sound of their voices he figured that the room wasn't that big, probably an office or some kind of break room. Pulling out a flash bang, he raised his other hand, pounding on the steel door several times. Footsteps coming toward him, along with some muffled cursing.

"What is it now?"

"Number Four reporting," he answered pitching his voice low and speaking quietly.

"That's what the com units are for. Your orders were to call in anything you found. Now unless you want to go on report…"

"I'm sorry sir," he answered trying to sound respectful. "I've got something I think the boss needs to see."

"We don't pay you to think," replied the voice. "You better not be wasting…"

The door started to open. Pulling the pin, he kicked out hard, slamming it into the man on the other side, crushing him against the door jam. Leaning forward, Logan lobbed the flash bang into the room and covered his ears. The hollow crump of the detonation nearly blew the door off it's hinges. Shoving it aside he burst into the room. A girl was directly across from him, tied to a chair, which had been knocked over by the blast. Through the smoky haze he spotted two of them trying to stand up. Claws flashing he hurtled toward them, impaling one through the neck, kicking out and breaking the other man's jaw. A bullet nearly tore his left ear off as shots rang out from behind. Whirling around he sprang on the agent who had fired. Several rounds ripped into him, the pain of impact tearing a roar from Logan's throat. Lashing out, he sliced through the man's gun taking his right hand off at the wrist, blood spurting out to mix with his own. As the agent staggered back screaming deadly blades whistled thought the air gouging into his belly, his guts spilling out unto the concrete floor like bloody sausages. He stepped over the mangled remains, bare feet making bloody tracks as he stalked over to the girl.

Danni was unconscious, but from the sound of her heartbeat he figured she'd be up and around soon. Her face was a bruised, bloody mess and he was pretty sure it had been that way before he'd used the flash bang. He'd started to cut her lose when he heard the sound of leather scraping against wood. He straightened up, letting the blades slide out.

From behind a pallet of wooden boxes a pair of cold brown eyes stared at him from the face of an angel. She appeared to be in her early twenties, and when she stepped out into the open he had to admit he was impressed. Her sleek, taut figure was packed into a form that wasn't any taller the Jubilee, but even so she carried her self with an arrogance that was impressive. Something in the back of his head screamed that there was more to this then he was seeing. He tested the air and what he found was confusing. Something about her smelled familiar, but alien at the same time. Definitely human, but with a strangeness that he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was almost like smelling a machine. He saw the slightly shocked expression that flashed across her face the instant she became aware of the claws. That didn't surprise him at all. What he wasn't ready for was the smile that followed.

"So it would seem the stories were false," she purred, eyeing the metal that protruded from his hands. "Change comes even to you Patch." Her face, which had features that suggested an Asian heritage, bore an expression of amused contempt.

"What is it with you Hydra fuckers," he growled, feeling the bitter rage stirring inside him. "My name ain't Patch, it's Logan."

"So many names, do you even remember them all? When my mistress entrusted me with this mission I had thought her mistaken. After so many years surely you must be gone."

"Yeah, I just keep turning up. Like a bad fucking penny."

"We are determined to make sure you would never again interfere in the affairs of Hydra."

"Don't look like that's workin out too well," he sneered, looking pointy at the dead bodies in the room.

The voice of the wind, which had been a steady, persistent murmur, abruptly ratcheted up in it's intensity. The shriek of tearing metal echoed, as right over their heads the roof began to shake and flex. Then over it all, the peculiar, high pitched whine of Cyclop's optic blasts. The ceiling began to peal away and he winced at the high pitch squealing sound. Looking up, he saw the night sky, rain pouring through the hole, but no Storm. The sound of lumber splintering jerked his attention back to the girl, who was holding a large box in one hand, her fingers digging into the wood. With a causal flick of the wrist, it rocketed toward him, traveling so fast he barely has time to turn his body before it's smashed into his shoulder, sending him tumbling across the concrete floor.

Rolling over on his hands and knees, he tried to stand, but she was too fast, closing the distance with incredible speed. A booted food battered his ribs and sent him flying into a steel post half way across the room. He struck it with the side of his head and the impact wind milled him around, his arms and legs failing like a broken puppets before coming to rest sprawled on his stomach, blood pouring down the side of his face from a gash on the scalp. He could feel himself falling down a long black hole and he fought to stay conscious, appalled at what it would mean to find himself helpless in the power of an enemy like this. Kicking out, his foot slammed into her chest as she reached for him and it felt strange, almost like when he'd hit Ellie. She went down hard, but before he could even stand a fist rammed into his gut, doubling him over. He felt a hand closing over the back of his neck and when she squeezed while yanking back hard, he smiled grimly even though his flesh ripped painfully beneath her fingertips. She'd tried to break his neck, but of course that wasn't going to happen and she finally made a mistake by coming too close.

He twisted his hips, driving his elbow into her gut as hard as could. She grunted, stumbling back as he ducked down, slipping her hold. Turning toward her he slashed out with his left hand, the tips of his claws ripping into her right arm, just below the elbow. He knew what it felt like to cut through flesh and that sure wasn't what had just happened. The arm he'd tagged was hanging limp and useless, dripping some kind of oily fluid, the metal and plastic innards clearly visible in the bloodless lacerations carved neatly by razor sharp blades. Both of them stared in shock, him because of what he saw, her that it happened. Finally she looked at him, face twisted in hate.

"You pathetic animal…"

"Fuck you bitch. Killing kids that ain't never done you no harm just cause you can't find no use for their powers. And I'm the animal?"

The chatter of automatic gunfire sounded in the distance and when the corners of her mouth twisted into a smirk, he wanted to cut her head off. He moved in on her, claws swinging, determined to finish her. Her good arm blocked one of his and she slid under the other, trying to jam a knee into his groin. He'd just managed to deflect it with his leg when he felt her hand close around his wrist and a surge of electricity coursed through him, robbing him of muscular control. He collapsed like a load of bricks, agonizing cramps racking his body, the fire traveling up his bones and burning into his brain. Over the roaring in his ears he heard a voice cry out and suddenly the pain stopped. An animalistic howl echoed through the area, quickly followed by of the sound of something crashing into the metal shelves across the room.

Spastic and weak, Logan willed his muscles into action. Barely able to turn his head, he saw a huge blue shape. He tried to call out his friend's name, but all he managed was a tortured rush of air.

"It would be wise to refrain from any further acts of violence young lady," Hank snarled through bared fangs. "I do not have the time nor the patience to deal with you gently."

"Doctor McCoy," she sneered, hurling the bits of bent and broken shelving aside as she staggered to her feet. There was blood streaming down the side of her face and Logan thought she looked wonky. "You and your mutant friends have earned our enmity. Hydra never forgets."

Slowly, painfully Logan pushed himself off the floor and staggered over to stand beside his friend. "So you ain't all machine," he rasped, flashing her a feral smile. "That's good. Cause if you can bleed, then you can fucking die." He started toward her, but one of Hank's huge hands clamped down on his shoulder.

"Stop my friend. You cannot just kill her."

"Just watch me."

"Logan, if you think that I will simply…oh my stars…I do believe that we have company."

His ears were screwed up from all the juice she had poured into him, but he could smell what was coming just fine. An explosion rocked the building and when the woman started cackling, he just wanted to shove a claw down her throat. He started to clamp down hard on his fury, but then he realized that was exactly what they needed. McCoy was still trying to play this by the rules and he just knew that wouldn't get the job done.

"Did you think," she gloated, looking him in the eye, "that Hydra was not prepared for any contingency? The death of a few promising mutants will be a small price to pay for the end of the X-Men. And we will still have you."

"McCoy she's all yours," he roared, sprinting for the door. "Just make sure you shut her fucking mouth."

The Beast nodded, a ghost of a smile playing across his face. Powerful legs propelled him through the air. Logan heard a crash, followed by the sound of the woman cursing, but he didn't look back. Just outside he could see figures moving in the darkness, their shapes distorted by the flickering light from a fire somewhere behind them. The feral rage that had been building the entire night beckoned and this time he embraced it. From just inside the doorway, he held up the three gleaming blades of his right hand and smiled.

"Alright motherfuckers…who dies first?"

He couldn't see any of their faces, but the animal in him relished the scent of their fear. It was only mere moments, but it seemed a lot longer. Then they shouted the answer he was expecting.

"HAIL HYDRA!"

**Please leave a review. Let me know what you think, good, bad or indifferent**


	29. Chapter 28

**A/n: I know it's been a while, but I really hit a dry streak. Sorry for the delay. Since it's been so long it might be useful to read a few of the proceeding chapters again.**

**Disclaimer: The X-Men and Wolverine are the property of Marvel. **

Cyclops 

Fucking Logan. If the man was here right now, Scott would have gladly blasted a hole in him wide enough to drive a Volvo through. From the start of this mission he'd been uneasy. There had been no time to plan and precious little intelligence on who they were up against. Worst of all in his book, Xavier's insistence that he include Peter. And that was before they'd added an untrained girl to the mix, one who had no use for following orders. At least orders that came from him. She had managed to start an argument with him before he'd even landed the Blackbird. When he'd then suggested that she should just wait for them on the plane, she had threatened to break his face. In spite of all this, the first part of the mission had gone smoothly, just like a textbook Danger Room drill. Ororo had conjured up a thunder storm to mask their approach. Hank scouted head, dispatching some stragglers and giving them a heads up that there was a large group of Hydra agents positioned near the west side of the building. Storm took out most of them, battering them unconscious with barrels propelled up by her winds, while a few well placed optic blasts dealt with the rest. Ten Hydra agents down in less then five minutes. The Professor had warned him that this would be dangerous, but so far they seemed like just a better armed version of the FOH.

Feeling more confident, he started looking for a way in. The loading dock doors wouldn't do, Hydra would be certainly be watching those. They couldn't operate in stealth mode much longer, but he wanted everyone in position first. Following the outside wall, he found what he was looking for close by. A steel door tucked into the shadows around a corner. It was locked. He started to reach for his visor, but Ororo put her hand on his shoulder and he stepped aside to give her room. After about ten seconds he heard a click and she stepped back with a smile. Scott signaled that they should all gather around.

"Ok," he said, pitching his voice low, "here's what we'll do. Storm will take to the air and gradually increase the intensity of the wind. The rest of us will work this from the inside. Beast, I want you to find Logan. Hopefully he knows where these kids are. If not stay with him until you find them. When you do, call us and get them out quick. While Beast is looking…"

"What," Ellie interrupted with an angry hiss, "you can't…what if he needs help? Shouldn't someone else go with him?"

"We've got to do this fast," he answered, seething inside but proud of how calm it came out. "Someone else would only slow him down." She started to argue when Hank cut in.

"You need not worry about me Ellie. Besides, I hardly think Logan will be in need of any assistance at all."

"Alright then," Scott continued. "We are taking these guys down, no doubt about that. But the number one priority is to find the kids and get them away. Storm, once Peter and I are ready, I want you to start peeling the roof off. We'll hit them as hard as we can, plus we'll give Hank and Logan time to get their job done." He started to turn for the door, when he felt a hand clamp down firmly on his arm.

"Hey asshole," Ellie spat out, squeezing his arm painfully in the bargain, "didn't you forget something?"

In a move that was purely reflex, with a strong dash of cold fury, Scott jerked is arm back…and nothing happened. She didn't move an inch and his arm was still securely within her grasp. In fact the only result as far as he could tell was the pain that shot through his shoulder. But that wasn't what made his fingers itch for his visor. It was the self satisfied smirk that he **really **wanted to wipe off her face. He ruthlessly quashed those feelings. She's just a kid and we're on a mission he told himself. He realized that if he didn't take control now, they were going to be in a lot of trouble. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hank take a step forward. He stopped his friend with a tiny shake of his head. The he rounded on her, using his slight height advantage and his much greater experience to full effect.

"Let go of me. Now." His Leader voice. That's what Jean used to call it. Only this time it was a little different. This was the voice he used to warn his enemies. But that's not what made Ellie respond, made her release him and take a step back. One look at his face, even with the visor on and she knew she'd pushed him too far. She started to explain herself, but he cut her off.

"I told you that you'd be better off staying with the plane. The only reason we agreed to take you along was because you promised to do as you're told."

"They're my friends," she pleaded, looking away. "I want to help them."

"Then give us some idea where to look," he murmured, looking straight into her eyes.

"I already told you, I don't know. We didn't have any place special to hide. We never…we didn't think anyone would come looking for us here."

The expression on his face, that he couldn't believe they would neglect to plan someone as elementary as where to go if they were in danger, made her want to break his arm rather then just grab it. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and walked away.

With Hank leading the way, they entered the building, finding themselves in a corridor so dark that even the Beast had to pause a minute so his eyes could adjust. They traveled in single file, passing several doors. Hank would pause, take a sniff and move on. At the end of the hall was another door. After listening intently, he ushered them through. A set of stairs leading up, with a single dim bulb providing welcome illumination. They crept up, Hank still up front and when they reached the top he stopped dead, before bringing a finger to his lips. Scott watched, in awe at how someone so large could move so quietly. He slipped through a door and for a minute that seemed to go on forever the only thing Scott could do was wait. He came back just as silently, which was kind of amazing as the good doctor had an unconscious man draped over his shoulder. After setting his burden down on the landing, Hank motioned for Scott to follow.

On the other side of the doorway was a narrow catwalk that ran the length of the wall it was fastened to. From this vantage point Scott could see the racks loaded with barrels that stretched away into the darkness, the rows of pallets loaded with boxes, sacks, and other things he couldn't quite make out. There was also at least a dozen men, dressed in identical green uniforms, involved in what looked like a methodical search of the whole area. Like ducks in a shooting gallery.

"Thanks Hank," he whispered so only his friend could hear. "This is perfect."

The Beast flashed him some fang and leaned in close. "There is more. I have Logan's scent."

Scott nodded, his mind already fixed on the next move. "I'll call Ro," he said after considering their best choice. "Is five minutes enough?"

Beast shrugged, then glanced over Scott's shoulder and winked. Powerful legs coiled and without a sound they propelled him toward the ceiling. Effortlessly he snagged one of the support girders and swung out, over to the next and so on, traveling over the men below, who were too busy seeking their victims to notice. Within seconds he was lost to their view. Scott turned to Peter and Ellie and almost laughed out loud at the open mouthed expressions they both wore.

After quietly herding them from the doorway he called Ororo and told her five minutes. Then he sat down beside them, mentally rehearsing his part. Peter and the girl were surprisingly quiet and he was glad for that, because he had a feeling things would get ugly when he told them what came next. Sure enough, he finally found the reason why they brought Peter with. Because he's the only thing that kept the girl from cracking his head like a coconut. The steel hand of Colossus held her back and she looked just as irritated as Scott had felt. He just wanted to get on with it, but then he took a good look at Peter and knew he needed to say something.

"This isn't about proving yourself to me," he said looking at Peter, "or making yourself feel better about what's already happened," with a glance at Ellie. "I'm not shutting either of you out, but right now I don't need your help." Back to Peter. "Just be ready when I do." The last part he almost had to shout, because in the last thirty seconds the wind had gone from a noisy howl the a full blown gale. Time to go to work.

He skittered out the doorway after a final peek to make sure they didn't follow. Below, the searching had stopped and everyone was shifting around nervously. Scott continued down the catwalk until the men below were all in his line of sight. The roof began to shake and flex as high pitched sequels rang in his ears. The sound of tearing metal was his signal.

Red beams lanced out from his visor, the high pitched whine of energy crackling through the air drowned out by the horrible din of the roof being torn off. Starting with those nearest, he methodically shot down six Hydra agents in as many seconds. He felt rather then heard the bullets whizzing passed and because of all the noise it took him a few seconds to zero in on them. There. Another blast, but this time he fiddled with the visor and instead of a tight beam it came out wide and flat, smashing into both agents and reducing the boxes between them to wooden scraps. The few that remain fled into the darkness. The wind was still wailing and when Scott looked for Ororo all he could see at first was the rain pouring though the yawning gap in the roof. Then a flash of white and black leather as she flitted into view.

"Ro," he yelled into his mike, fighting to be heard over the gale, "talk to me. What's going on out there?"

"All clear outside Scott. No resistance from Hydra…and no sign of the mutants we are supposed to be helping."

Of course. "I've secured the main warehouse area, but Ro, this place is huge. I'm sure we'll have more of them to deal with. A lot more."

"Has Henry found Logan yet?"

"He tracking him now. Between the two of them I'm sure they'll be able to find these kids. Hopefully they've had…"

"Hold on Scott." He looked up and saw her glide away. As the seconds ticked away he ran all the things that could go wrong through his head. "We have a problem Scott." The tone of her voice putting him a alert.

"What's wrong Ro?"

"There are helicopters approaching from the north."

"Shit. What kind? How many?"

"I'm going to take a closer look."

"No! Wait Ro. You need back up! Ro?" He cursed, realizing that she'd gone off line. Frantic, he tried Hank, with no success. He had to get outside. He hurried back to collect Peter and Ellie, only they weren't there. Fighting a growing feeling of panic, he called Peter on his comm.

"Peter. Answer me, damn you!"

"Da."

"Where are you? What the hell is going on?"

"The girl…Ellie. She said she was going to find her friends. I do not think she should go alone."

"And it didn't occur to you to tell me this?"

"You were talking with Ms. Munroe. There was no time."

"Bullshit Peter," he barked, "you make the fucking time. Get her back here. Fast."

The next time Xavier tried to force someone on him that wasn't ready, Scott would tell him exactly where to stick it. The thought of Ororo alone facing who knew what made him ache with fear. He needed to get to her, but couldn't leave until Peter and Ellie returned. His hand went to the mike to call her again when a shot rang out, quickly followed by more. Scott threw himself flat on the catwalk as bullets struck the wall overhead. Glancing over the edge of the steel walkway, he saw Hydra agents slipping from behind some pieces of heavy machinery. The were coming his way. He raised his head so he could take a shot and more bullets whizzed overhead forcing him down. The shooters kept him pined while the rest worked their way toward him. He heard something to his left and chanced another look. More Hydra agents pouring through a another door. He fired quickly, taking out three, but they just kept coming. A hail of gunfire forced him back again. Up here he was a sitting duck. He had to get off the catwalk.

Picking a spot six feet away he open his visor and the metal peeled away with a shriek. Crawling to the edge he looked down. It was at least a twenty foot drop into a maze of pallets with wooden boxes stacked on top. Bullets were clanging off the metal walls. Behind him he could hear booted feet coming up the stairs. And over head…damn, the sound of choppers. Taking a deep breath, he rolled over the edge.

Their fire intensified as he fell, one bullet found it's mark slamming into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. Thank God for the Kevlar. He twisted his body try to avoid the wooden crates, trying to get his feet under him. He didn't have enough room, but he came pretty close to making it. His shoulder glanced off a crate, so instead of landing on both feet his left one took the full force of the fall. The impact sent pain shooting up his leg, and it got a lot worse when he tried to but weight on it. He plastered himself against a stack of boxes and waited. The noise of the helicopters and the wind drowned out any other sounds. To his left, a shadow, hard to see in the dim light, then another. When he'd counted four he opened the visor. Muffled screams and the sounds of bodies being smashed into something hard. Shit. He didn't really want to kill them. He could just imagine what Logan would say to that.

The staccato stutter of automatic gun fire, bullets ripping through the wooden boxes all around him. Dropping to his hands and knees he started crawling along the floor. Suddenly above the sound of the wind and the deafening gunfire, he could hear the beat of rotors directly over head. He glanced up and there were at least three of them hovering above the hole Storm had torn in the roof. Tethers dropped from the choppers and he knew in a matter of seconds Hydra agents would follow. He had to get out of here, had to warn the others. He heard something metallic clink on the floor, followed a moments later by a deafening blast. They were using flash bangs. He had been shielded from the worst effects by some crates, but they'd just keep tossing them until one got him.

Frantically he looked around, then started crawling again. Another blast echoed through the warehouse, this one closer. Then he saw it his chance. The end of a row of pallets and beyond across an open space, a door. Grasping some boxes he pulled himself up and flicked the visor open, using a low setting because he was basically firing blind. The red beam struck crates and machinery, blasting the objects away from him, creating a wall of debris that swept the area. Without waiting to see the effect he turned, hobbling toward the door as fast as he could drag his damaged leg. He'd missed at least a few, and they opened up, trying to bring him down. He was almost there when the door he was lurching toward began to swing open and a bullet slammed into his leg and sent him sprawling to the floor. A boot caught him right in the face as he tried to lever himself up, breaking a tooth and sending his visor flying. In a haze of pain he fought to stay conscious, desperately clamping his eyes shut.

"Who the fuck is this," one of them shouted. "He ain't on the list."

"You stupid asshole. Does that look like a fucking teenager to you? We've got us an X-Man."

"What do we do with this one?"

"Are you kidding me? You saw the orders. Anyone not on the list we terminate."

A sudden fusillade of gunfire cut their discussion about his fate short. They were shouting something about SHIELD, but between the constant shooting and the screams he couldn't make it out. It was so hard to concentrate. Their voices sounded distant, like he was hearing them through a door. But Scott thought he had a pretty good fix on them. He had never killed anyone and it wasn't for lack of opportunity. It was something he was proud of. Xavier had drilled into all of them that taking a life was never acceptable, that there were always alternatives. Maybe if he'd had more time he could have thought of some. As it was, the idea of death wasn't something the frightened him. He missed Jean with a fierce ache that never went away and he wondered if this might be his best chance to see her again. But Scott Summers knew that there were people who needed him, kids who depended on him. And the bottom line was, he wasn't about to just lie there and let these bastards kill him.

"Don't worry mutie," came the mocking voice above him, crystal clear, "you won't feel a thing."

"You're right," Cyclops growled, "I won't." And he opened his eyes.

Wolverine

"Hail Hydra!"

A ghostly doppelganger of their shout reverberated inside his head, a wisp of remembrance that flitted away before his mind could capture it. All that remained was the primal anger that the sound of their cry evoked; a rage that rose from his belly, a poisonous bile so clotted that he almost choked on it. The black hole of his memory gave him nothing, but he _**knew**_ that at some time and place in his past these fuckers had caused him pain. Time to pay them back in kind.

He launched himself from the doorway, heedless of the shots that rang out, of the bullets that slammed into him, of the pain as lead ripped through flesh. Lips curled into a grisly, blood flecked smile, pupils dilated and cold, he waded into them, blades hacking through body armor, carving easily through meat and bone. Those that were closest, who couldn't scramble back in time, were torn apart by the gleaming metal weapons. Screams of pain and terror mixed with shouts of command as Logan mercilessly shredded anyone he could reach, slicing off an arm, stabbing through a torso. The smell, even the taste of blood, mixed with their fear drove his frenzy and that part of him that wasn't human exalted in the death of his enemies. He bore down on the survivors, tearing out one man's throat as his left arm flicked out, skewering another. Lifting the body over his head he tossed it at the two remaining agents. They both went down in a tangle of limbs and before they could regain their feet he was there, smashing one in the face with his knee and turning to other, who looked up at him, opened his hand to reveal a grenade, and smiled.

In the split second before the damn thing exploded he turned away, throwing his arm across his face. Blood and flesh splattered across his body, metal fragments ripping into him as the force of the blast hit like a giant fist, sending him skidding across the floor to crash into something hard. Blood (his?...some of it was…everything was fuzzy) was in his eyes and when he tried to move something heavy slammed into him from above, followed by an avalanche of sacks crashing on to his head and shoulders. When it was over he was dazed and choking on a foul smelling dust, almost buried under at least a dozen bags of chemicals.

He remembered passing the pallets when he'd tracked Dayla down. He'd been thrown into one of those stacks by the blast, causing it to topple over on him. He tried to wipe the powdery crap out of his eyes, but since it was all over his hands, he only made things worse. The weight of the bags on his chest and shoulders made it difficult to breath and a dull ache throbbed from his left side, just below his ribs. Blindly he groped, trying to push one of the sacks off, but he couldn't budge it. Confused at his weakness, he shoved harder and the ache turned to agony. Wedging his hand between the bags and his body, he wasn't exactly surprised to feel something wet and sticky. His blood. The pain intensified, augmented by the familiar burning as the healing factor kicked into overdrive.

Off to his left, his blurred eyesight caught movement. He couldn't really tell who (or what) it was, only that it was coming toward him. He shoved at the bags again and this time one of them moved an inch or two. Just a few minutes and he'd be good to go. A few minutes that he apparently didn't have, because now he could hear the grunts of pain and heavy breathing over the constant ringing in his ears from the blast. He still couldn't smell worth a damn, but he could pick out the dark blob as it moved closer. There was no mistaking the intent when the shotgun came into view a few feet from his face. He strained at his prison, and finally managed to free his left arm, but it didn't do him any good. Even with claws fully extended, he didn't have enough reach.

"Can't quite get to me, can you mutie," a voice croaked. "Too fucking bad."

The man, or rather what was left of him, came slowly into focus as Logan's vision improved moment by moment. The green uniform he wore was torn and bloody and the mask that was part of a Hydra operative's kit was gone, as was the left side of his face, sliced neatly to the bone. The shotgun trained on him was shaking, but still, how he could miss. In desperation he started to worm his arms under the sacks on top of his chest and then stopped when his right hand brushed against something hard. It was the gun that he'd taken off the first two men he'd killed. He hadn't given a second thought since. Grasping it firmly, he slowly slid the barrel between two of the bags.

"Come on you fucking freak," the other man rasped, "ain't you going to even try?" A spasm of coughing wracked the other man's body and Logan used the brief distraction to push the gun into position. "You fucked up my face mutie," he wheezed, bring his weapon up, "so now I'll return the favor."

"You talk too much," Logan sneered as he pulled the trigger, the burst ripped through his throat, killing him instantly.

After wiping the splatter of blood off his face Logan started working his way free. After an agonizing effort he managed to shove one bag off. The second went a littler easier and by the time the third slid off he was beginning to feel like himself.

"Logan are you…oh my…"

Hank stood in the doorway with Dayla clutched in his left arm. The right one hung limp and bloody at his side. The look in his eyes as his gaze wandered over the scene of carnage told Logan all he needed to know. Hank McCoy, who he had began to think of as a friend, was appalled at what he saw. Eight bodies, in various stages of dismemberment, lay strewn across the concrete floor. In fact, the only intact corpse was the agent Logan had just shot to death, and the burst of gunfire from his MP5 had nearly decapitated him. Not that he felt bad about what he had done. As far as he was concerned the phrase "they needed killing" was invented with fuckers like Hydra in mind. What did bother him was that brief look of horror on Hank McCoy's face. Along the fact that on some level he'd enjoyed it. Mentally he shrugged, he didn't have time for this emotional bullshit right now.

"What the hell happened Hank?" McCoy's gaze snapped back to him and Logan could have sworn that the big blue man looked almost…nervous.

"But of course," Hank answered in a voice husky with pain. He quickly bounded over and set the girl gently down, then proceeded to help Logan dig his way out. Even with one arm useless, Hank shifted the heavy sacks with ridiculous ease, but after lifting two of them the blue furred man stopped. Instead, he pulled something out of his pocket and just stood there, staring at it. Cursing under his breath Logan finished the job. By the time the last bag was off, he was as good as he was going to be until he could gorge himself and get some sleep. He turned to ask Hank what was so damn fascinating about the piece of junk he was holding and the words died unspoken. Because the thing McCoy was cradling in his hand looked a lot like a thumb, except for the thin wires that trailed out of the base.

"Damn it Hank," he groused, irritated the McCoy couldn't seem to get his shit together, "were is she?"

"I think I killed her," Hank whispered, oblivious to Logan's anger.

"You think?" Because he was pretty sure when he did it.

"I was distracted. When I heard the explosion I was near the door so I turned my head just for…just for a moment. Apparently there was a gun nearby because she took the opportunity to shoot me."

He tried to be patient, because he liked the man, but McCoy just stood there, staring into space, giving no sign that he was going to continue. "Ok…then what?"

"I was enraged," Hank finally continued in a low flat voice. "We needed to get back to Scott and Ororo and…well I was concerned about you. I took hold of the nearest object I could reach…it was a chair…and I hurled it at her. One of the legs embedded itself in her abdomen."

Creative, was Logan's first thought. Not something he would have dreamed up. "Stay here. I'll be right back." Because while Hank thought that the homicidal bitch was dead, Logan figured it always paid to make sure. Who knew, maybe if he was lucky, Hank was wrong.

Loping over to the room, he paused in the doorway to listen. Nothing. Either Hank really had cashed in her chips or… stepping inside, he scanned the room. She was gone. Almost every piece of furniture was broken, but near the middle he found a chair with one leg slick with gore plus a blood trail leading to a door on the far side of the room. He growled low in his throat, feeling the rage bubbling up. He started toward the door, determined to finish her for good.

A high pitched crackling, like an electrical circuit from hell overloading, produced a sharp stabbing pain that jolted through his head. The next moment a tremendous roiling clamor blasted into his ears as debris began to rain down upon him, one large chuck of metal nearly striking his head. Looking up through the ruined ceiling, he saw a red beam of almost blinding intensity shooting upward into the night sky, followed moments later by a dull orange fireball along with the hollow crump of an explosion. After several seconds the streaming energy suddenly stopped. Groaning in relief, he dashed from the room to find McCoy desperately trying to call Summers on the com.

"What the fuck was that blue," Logan growled. He was pretty sure he already knew, but it never hurt to ask the big brain.

"That was the full, unfettered power of Cyclops's optic blast, without the damping effect of his visor." McCoy shook his massive head and quickly thrust the mechanical thumb back into the pocket of his tattered uniform. He tried to raise Scott again, then Ororo, but got no answer. "Logan, Scott would never…this can only mean he has lost the ability to control his gift."

"Son of a fucking bitch…ya mean his glasses?"

"That is correct," Hank nodded, "without the visor he has no control over the power of his gift. Every time he opens his eyes, the optic blasts are emitted at maximum intensity. Logan, the only circumstance that I can envision him acting in such a manner would be…"

"Life or death."

"Indeed, we must find him Logan, before this happens again." In two rapid steps Hank was crouching to pick up Dayla. As he reached for her, she moaned softly, opened her eyes and screamed.

"Please my dear, we mean you no harm. We are only…"

"Who…who are you," the girl stuttered, scrambling away weakly, her eyes darting from Hank to Logan, then over Logan's shoulder to the shredded bodies beyond. "Oh shit oh shit no…she's gonna kill me," she wailed, as she struggled to stand.

"We don't have time for this crap kid," Logan rumbled. Why the hell did she have to wake up now?

"He is correct young lady," Hank said, in what he hoped was a calm voice. "We must return to help our friends immediately."

"Good…go if you want," she answered, in a high pitched nearly hysterical voice, backing further away, "just leave me alone."

God, it was tempting. They needed to move fast and that didn't look too likely right now. While the girl wasn't in any condition to put up a fight, she'd certainly slow them down. Then his gaze fell upon the medallion around her neck and he remembered what she was. Just another part of Hydra.

"Just shut up," Logan snarled as his hand shot out toward her throat, quickly snatching the glinting bit of metal from around her neck, to dangle it in front of her fearful eyes. "Ain't no way I'm letting you walk. This tells me exactly what you are."

"You don't know jack!"

"I told you ta shut yer mouth. You got a story ta tell, save it for Fury. I don't got the time."

"So that's it," she hissed, stepping further away from him, unwilling to meet his gaze. "You can fucking go to hell if you think I'm going back to that asshole." Reaching behind her back, she drew out a stiletto, holding it in front of her with practiced ease.

"Please my dear," Hank pleaded, with a sidelong glance at his fellow mutant, "put that away. There is no need for this."

"I'm not going back," she repeated, starting to slide away. "I'm not going to let that shithead screw with me again."

"You listen good," Logan growled darkly, "cause I ain't repeatin myself. Either yer comin with us or," and he paused to look at the corpses strewn across the concrete floor, "you can stay here with yer buddies. That's the only choice you got."

"Logan…I will not stand aside for this." The voice was calm, but Logan could hear his determination.

Instead of answering, he tossed the medallion to his friend. "You know what that is McCoy?"

"No," Hank answered careful to keep his voice calm as he examined it, "I do not."

"They all got one," Logan replied, "it means that she's Hydra, body and soul."

Walking over to the nearest body, Hank grasped the green tunic and ripped it down the front. The amulet was the twin of the one Logan had taken from her. A grinning silver skull set upon six writhing tentacles.

"I will not allow Logan to harm you," he said to her, not exactly sure how he would keep that promise, "but I must insist the you return with us. Please give that to me. Now."

Her eyes wandered from Hank to Logan, then drifted once more over the dead men scattered every where before settling on the knife she gripped in her now shaking hand. With a curse, she tossed the weapon away. Hank reached for her but she flinched back. "I can fucking walk."

"We ain't gonna be walking. Either you let Hank carry you or I will."

She looked at Hank and nodded. The blue arm that encircled her waist was nearly as big as she was. Hoisting her easily off her feet, the Beast followed after Logan, who'd set off in a dead run. They dashed along the neat rows of pallets stacked high with bags of chemicals and through an open doorway into a large open space. A bright light was shining directly over the door they'd come through, the glare gradually bleeding into darkness. The floor was bare and the room appeared to be empty, accept for several forklifts parked along one wall. Looking up, Logan could see gaping holes in the roof, the product of Storms power.

A peel of thunder boomed through the sky and lightening flashed overhead, ragged streaks of pure white incandescence flaring painfully bright through the jagged opening overhead. He could practically taste the ozone and when he glanced at Hank, the fur that covered his body was sticking out in places. Sometimes unfortunate places. Another thunderclap, deafening in it's intensity and the wind began to roar, like a living thing that hammered at the damaged structure of the building, rumbling down from above, tearing at Logan and Hank like invisible fingers, whipping the fine dust that covered the floor into their faces. No doubt about it, Storm was pissed. Time to move, only he wasn't sure where.

Now that they were away from the pervasive aromas that the chemicals gave off, Logan tested the air. Something was burning and the stench of noxious fumes, mixed with that of burning flesh, was thick in the air. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, parsing the odors, mentally peeling away the strong ones so he could find those hidden underneath. There were people, dozens of individuals, each distinct to his senses. Of those there were the ones he knew, Summer's, along with Ororo, Ellie, and another scent that he was familiar with, one that he sure as hell shouldn't be smelling here.

"McCoy, he barked, "you wanna explain ta me why I'm smellin Pete?"

"The Professor thought it would be wise to include him."

"The professor? Was Summers on board with this?"

"No," Hank sighed, "he wasn't Logan, no one was happy about bringing him.

"Then why did ya?"

"The professor…"

"Fucking Xavier," Logan interrupted, shaking his head. "If he told ya shit was shinola, you'd be slappin it on yer shoes."

As they progressed across the open area, he fastened on those smells that he recognized, shutting away the rest from his mind. Their intensity increased and by the time they approached the other side of the room he knew they were getting closer. There were several doors to choose from on the wall they were approaching, but the one on the right was where his nose lead, with Pete and Ellie's scent spiking as they drew near it. They'd both come through this door and they'd come alone.

The scent trail continued from the door along the wall to a metal ladder in a dimly lit corner. Logan's gaze followed the ladder up the wall to a platform. A door that had been set into the wall, allowing access to the platform from the top, was torn off it's hinges.

"Pete and Ellie. Jesus Hank, what are they doing wanderin around on their own? What the fuck was Summers thinkin?"

Hank shook his head, staring at the ruined door. "However they managed to separate themselves from the others, we must find them." He tried his com again, but received no response.

"I'll get em." Hank opened his mouth to protest, but Logan cut him off. "Ya need ta get back Hank. Whatever the hell is going on, Summers needs the help" Another ear-splitting crack of thunder echoed through the building. "So does Ro. Go find em McCoy. I'll be right behind ya."

He shimmied up the ladder and through the doorway before Hank could protest. Inside was a large office, complete with several rows of desks and ratty, puke green carpeting. Picking up the trail was no problem and after going down a long hallway and through several empty rooms, he thought he was getting close. Something in his head screamed that this was too damn easy, so when the aroma of those he was following started mixing with others he didn't know, he figured it was business as usual. The strange scents grew stronger and as he approached another door, the ripe odor of pain and fear, mixed with a little blood assaulted him. Grasping the doorknob he burst into the room.

The place was a shambles. Desks and chairs were smashed, with one piece of ruined furniture actually sticking out of the wall less than five feet away. Five unconscious Hydra agents were mixed with the wreckage, some with limbs obviously broken, but all apparently alive. He took a quick look around, but even though he saw evidence that some of those fuckers had been able to get shots off, he didn't think any of the blood on the floor belonged to Pete or Ellie. There was something else, something he really didn't like. Pete smelled different when he armored up. He'd come into the room as Colossus alright, but when he'd walked out he didn't have the metal skin any more. He was just Piotr Rasputin. Stupid kid. He need to get the hell out of here, to run them both down before this little jaunt they were on blew up in their faces. But instead he found himself staring at the unconscious men they'd left behind. It would be easy, something that he really shouldn't have to even think about. Just a few flicks of the wrist and the world would minus five Hydra agents. He'd be doing the world a favor.

A gunshot snapped him out of it and even though it wasn't that close it sounded so loud he almost jumped. He was out of the room and running down another featureless corridor when the reek hit him like a slap in the face. Sometimes, he found it's smell intoxicating, making him drunk in a way the booze or drugs never could. But this time the stench evoked a feeling that he was scarcely familiar with, outside of the nightmare of his memories with Stryker. Because the blood he was smelling didn't belong to some nameless stranger, it was Pete's.

**A/n: Yeah, I know. I really thought this would be the last part of my endless "Logan fights Hydra in a warehouse" story arc. But as I was going on vacation and I wanted to post something damn it I decided to stop here. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for the help Dee. **


	30. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

He watched Logan disappear through the door, the urge to follow so intense that he shivered. Damn it all, could things get any worse? Try as he might, Hank could not imagine a scenario that would allow for Peter and Ellie wandering about on their own. A deafening crack of thunder sounded, shaking the damaged structure around him and rattling his teeth. Ororo. Jagged arcs of white light danced overhead, flashing an eerie light through the ruined roof. Her ability to control her gift was linked to her emotions. To put it another way, the angrier she was, the bigger the storm. The one outside was a monster now. Still in control however, because while the light show above was spectacular and the winds howled, for the moment it was just that; a show. He knew what he had to do, get to her before it wasn't. A low, menacing sound rumbled from deep inside his chest.

"What the hell…what's up with that?"

The girl. He had forgotten about her. To him she weighted almost nothing. His mind, preoccupied with worry over the others, had wandered.

"That young lady, was a growl. Please excuse my rude behavior. Now, if you would be so kind as to shift your position. Put your arms around my neck and hold on tightly."

"Why do you want me to do that?" She scrambled around until she was draped across his broad blue back, her arms barely able to encircle his neck.

"Because we are going to have to move at a much faster pace and I might have need of my one functional arm."

Turning away from the ladder, he went to the nearest door. When he opened it he was assaulted by the stink of burning chemicals and roasted flesh. Cat like eyes searched the dimly lit space that seemed to stretch on forever, but he could see no sign of Hydra amongst the jumbled boxes and other rusting equipment. Legs coiling like a spring, Hank and his passenger were propelled through the air, soaring over the detritus below. At the apex of the second jump, his passenger began to scream.

"Please, none of that," he bellowed, over his shoulder, "it would not do to disturb my concentration."

Blessed silence returned, except of course for the shrieking wind and roaring thunder. It took him four jumps to complete the circuit of the vast space and in that time there was no evidence of Hydra at all. Puzzled but relieved, Hank landed softly on the balls of his feet. His passenger slid off his back and followed as he approached the door. Pausing at the entrance, he used his enhanced senses to gather information at what lay beyond. There was a fire raging, he could almost taste the intense heat. His nose told him it was a chemical inferno, not too surprising considering the contents of this warehouse. He could smell the scents of many people, including to his relief Scott and Ororo. And the smell of death. It was fresh and it was intense. Seizing the doorknob, he pushed his way in, then stood in the doorway, taken a back at what he saw.

The wall on the other side of the room was a mass of flame. Even from where he was, over one hundred feet away, he could feel the heat. People in black uniforms scurried about, some using chemical fire extinguishers in a futile attempt to control the raging fire, while others dragged bodies out of it's path. Most of the dead were dressed in Hydra green, but there were more than a few clad in black. Scattered across the space were charred bits of wood and metal and off in a corner was the burnt out, smoldering wreckage of a helicopter. The roof had been completely pealed away, exposing the entire space to the elements. The thunder rattled ominously as the wind roared down from the night sky whirling about the room and fanning the flames that rose ever higher into the darkness. Standing in the center of the chaos, electricity arcing around her, was Storm.

Over a dozen figures dressed in black stood near her, their weapons held at the ready if not quite leveled in her direction. In front of them, closest to Ororo stood a woman, obvious as such because she was the only one without a helmet. She was gesturing emphathically, but with all the clamor even his keen ears could not make out what she was saying. In any event, he did not particularly care. The guns were an patent threat, directed at one he loved. He turned to the girl, to warn her away and was startled to see someone he didn't recognize. A quick sniff told him she was the same person he'd just leaped across the room with. Ergo…

"You are a mutant?"

"As if you didn't know. Don't try and bullshit me fuzz face."

"I assure you young lady, I had no idea until this moment."

"Yeah, right. Fury never told you anything about me."

"You are obviously under the mistaken impression that I am a part of Colonel Fury's organization." He turned his attention to the group around Ororo. They were slowly backing away, spreading themselves out. He did not like what he was seeing at all. "I do not have time to explain this to you. Please stand away from me. There will almost certainly be violence."

He edged closer, amazed that no one seemed to be aware of his presence. Then again, an enraged Strom did tend to hold one's attention. A few more steps and he was at last able to hear what they were saying (actually screaming) to each other.

"…for the last time," the woman in black shouted nervously, "you are interfering with a SHIELD operation. Stand aside and let us do our job."

"Your job does not include taking my friend as your prisoner," Ororo shot back angrily. "I have no desire to hurt any of you, but believe me, you will regret it if you do not release him now."

Their prisoner…Hank looked franticly about the room. There, behind the group confronting Ororo, a smaller cluster standing by a stretcher set on the floor. On that stretcher was Scott Summers. On his left thigh, a blood soaked bandage, with another, cleaner one wrapped around his face. More specifically his eyes. Hank's body tensed, ready for action. He had to do something, because from the looks of things Ororo was about five seconds from picking a fight with the one governmental agency that they were on speaking terms with. While he saw the necessity of convincing them to release Scott, doing it here, in a burning structure that might collapse at any moment, was not a sound plan. With a flex of leg muscle, he leaped through the air to land squarely between Storm and the person he surmised was the leader. Instantly, the weapons of the others swiveled toward him. Well, at least they were no longer pointed at her.

"Henry, thank the goddess! They are trying…oh Henry, you are bleeding," she groaned, her voice cracking from the strain. Whatever had caused this confrontation, it was bad enough for Ororo to be afraid.

"Hold your fire," the leader barked, then her eyes locked on Hank. "Doctor McCoy, am I finally talking to someone who can be reasonable?"

"Who are you, and by what authority do you make demands upon my friends and I?"

Keen brown eyes peered at him, her mouth curled into a scowl. "Maria Hill. This is a SHIELD operation that you people are interfering with."

"On the contrary Ms. Hill, it is you who are interlopers. I suggest you withdraw immediately."

She shook her head, the scowl turning to a sneer. "So I guess that answers my question."

"I am always reasonable madam, that is unless I am dealing with a person who is a threat to those I hold dear. I that event, well; I can assure you the appellation by which I am known does not refer solely to my appearance."

For several seconds she stared at him, then she turned and signaled to the figures spread out behind her. They pulled back, clustering around Scott. "Alright McCoy, you've got one minute."

"Do not issue ultimatums to me," he growled baring his fangs. "You will explain yourself. Why are you attempting to take my friend into SHIELD custody?"

"No! They are not taking him Henry," Ororo's voice echoed above the thunder. "I won't allow it!"

"Ororo," he pleaded, putting himself directly in front of her, "Scott is also my friend, but this is a problem that can't solve with violence."

The SHIELD agent opened her mouth but Hank quelled her with a glare. "We can't do this my love," he shouted, tuning his attention to Strom once more. Seeing the doubt in her expression he quickly went on. "Please don't do something you'll regret over what is obviously a misunderstanding"

The wind was abruptly cut off, the howling tumult tamped down to a murmur. "Henry," Storm whispered, "I am afraid it is a little more complicated then that."

"She's right McCoy," the other woman barked. "This isn't some misunderstanding. We know exactly what we're doing."

"And what is that madam?"

"Arresting Summers for murder."

"**ARE YOU DEMENTED!?" **Hank shook his shaggy head, forcing the anger back. "To even suggest that Scott would take a life is preposterous. How can you even…"

"Because I saw him do it," Hill snapped, her eyes flashing anger. "I saw him blast one of our choppers, and I saw it explode. And I helped drag what was left of Clark out of the wreckage. He did it and he's going to pay." The knot of SHIELD agents quickly formed a semi circle. Hearing noise behind him Hank turned to look. On a catwalk that stretched along the far wall, five more agents had taken up firing positions. "Alright, enough fun and games," she said crisply. "I'm taking this man into custody. If you try and interfere, I will not be responsible for what happens."

Hank stroked his furry chin, remembering what he had seen. The ruby red beam of energy tearing through the night sky, followed by the flash of an explosion and the telltale blossom of the fireball. He jerked his head around, until his eyes rested on the charred, smoldering skeleton of the helicopter. He knew Scott, knew perfectly well that the man would rather have died himself rather then kill another. Right now, he didn't think sentiments like that would be well received.

"Boss, it's Jenks." One of the SHIELD agents stepped forward. He was a big man, nearly a foot taller then the woman he was addressing. Nevertheless, Hank was certain that he saw him flinch as he handed her a device that resembled a cell phone. "He's on the scrambler."

She grabbed the instrument, holding it up to her ear. "This had better be important Jenks. Problem? What kind of problem? All of them? You're sure? Maybe it's just a feint. No you're right…we can't afford to take the chance. I know he'll be pissed, but I'm not going to risk more lives over his crazy scheme. Pull your people out. Emergency Evac Delta. Go Jenks." She tossed the gadget back and turned to face him as she jammed her helmet back on her head.

"Hydra seems to be pulling out. None of the teams we have in this shithole can establish contact. That means we've got about five minutes to get the hell out."

Hank couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I do not understand. If these cretins are leaving then surely we have…"

"They're going to sterilize this location." At the look of confusion she saw on Hanks face she cursed. "Blow it up, burn it down you idiot! It's their standard procedure to eliminate any evidence of an operation once it's been compromised."

"But why…surely they would not slaughter their own operatives?"

"You obviously don't know Hydra. When it's time to pull out, they signal their teams. They have exactly ten minutes to evac the premises. We're wasting time. I don't give a damn if you believe me, we're getting out now."

The image flashed inside his mind of the warehouse in Brooklyn exploding with Logan still inside, of the bomb that he'd been unable to render harmless. The accelerant was half a dozen barrels of ammonium nitrate. In his minds eye he saw the towering stacks of chemical fertilizer that he and Logan had passed just a few minutes ago. Now the smell of those sacks was clear as a bell in his mind. Ammonium nitrate.

"Oh my stars and garters! I believe you. Nevertheless, we cannot leave. We have people inside this facility. There are children here madam. And while I admit that Logan will ultimately survive an explosion I…"

"Logan? Are you in communication with him?"

"No I am not. In fact I have been unable to use our communication devices since shortly after we entered these premises. At this time, he is trying to locate several of our missing team members as well as some mutants who are hiding here. Mutants being hunted by Hydra. It was Logan who passed the information to us regarding Hydra's procurement of young mutants…"

"Our latest intel has Hydra after your friend Logan. Apparently they were using the kids as bait to draw him in." At the growing look of confusion and anger on his face she held up her hand. "Don't blame me for this mess. It was never my op. I'm just the one that gets to clean it up. We had a…method of tracking your friend's position. About twenty minutes ago it stopped functioning, so we scrambled some assets to his last know location. Your com units aren't working for the same reason our tracking failed. Both are being jammed at the source by Hydra."

Ororo had been listening quietly to their exchange. An ominous peal of thunder from above was a clear signal that her patience was coming to an end. She shook herself, her right hand rubbing her forehead, her face a mask of concentration. The thunder immediately diminished to a dull rumble. When she spoke Hank grimaced inwardly at the anger in her voice. "Ms. Hill, if these men are using a jamming device, how can you still communicate?"

"They always leave one channel open. In effect, we are using the same frequency as Hydra does for our com units"

"Does Hydra know that you can do this?"

"If they did, then they would have stopped it."

"Ororo," Hank cut in, "I do not see how that is even relevant to our current situation."

"Damn it Hank, will you just shut up and listen. It's the same as the last time. The bomb in that warehouse, the one Hydra was using as a front. They detonated it by using a radio signal."

"Of course my dear!" Leaning forward, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. She in turn favored him a brief, but dazzling smile, before turning a hard gaze on the other woman.

"Can you jam that radio frequency?"

"That wouldn't be a problem," Hill answered in a sour tone, "but it would put us all in the same boat. No communication."

"Would you rather be blown into little pieces," she asked sweetly. "I didn't think so. You help us find the rest of our team and the others and I won't fight you on Scott. At least until I see the asshole you work for." The two women stared at each for several moments other in stony silence.

"Alright," Hill finally answered in a weary tone, "my team will stay with you." She took a gizmo off her belt and manipulated the controls. "There. All radio frequencies are jammed for approximately one mile from where we are now. You've got fifteen minutes, then we clear out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Colossus**

When the Professor had asked him to go on this mission, he'd felt proud that the man whom he admired almost to the point of reverence would trust him so. Mixed in with that pride was what he considered at the time a healthy dose of fear. Not healthy enough, he thought bitterly. Why had he followed her? Because she didn't know what she was doing, and he did? Why had he not simply forced her to return, as Scott had ordered? Despite her considerable strength, she was no match for him in his armored form. However, the thought of what that might involve had made him uneasy, and Ellie had been sure that she'd be able to find her friends in no time.

As they made their way through the maze that was the decrepit building and the minutes piled up, Peter became aware of a problem. He had rarely spent so much time in his armored form. While he had worked with Dr. McCoy in the Danger Room to test the limits of his power, almost all of his training with Logan had consisted of drills and sparing with the others, something he could not do as Colossus. As the time dragged on, the amount of concentration it took was disturbing.

After a while his head began to ache. It started out a dull throbbing in the back of his head and by the time they ran into the Hydra search team it felt like someone was trying to shove an ice pick through his eyes. In the aftermath of the brief fight, he switched back to his human form while Ellie questioned the only agent who remained conscious. Of course he refused to answer, even after she broke his arm. When they left the room, he decided to remain Piotr Rasputin for as long as it was safe. After traveling down a long corridor they reached a doorway that opened into yet another large storage area, complete with racks of barrels along one of the walls and neatly stacked rows of boxes on the opposite side of the room.

A quick scan of the space told him he needed to be Colossus again. Normally, the change was instantaneous. This time it took nearly ten seconds of concentration for him to return to his mutant form. At least the headache wasn't so bad. As he followed her past the door into the cavernous space, the rusted metal walls rattled as thunder rumbled outside. The roof above was intact, but it did very little to dampen the sound of the storm's fury. Until then, he'd been so intent on keeping himself and Ellie on track that he'd barley noticed it. Now it was impossible not to.

"Ellie," his voice rumbled, a harsh metallic sound that contrasted with his pleading tone, "we must go back. I fear that my friends have need of me."

"Please Pete, we're almost there," she answered, pointing to a door in the far corner, set beside a large, blacked out window. Rows of pallets stacked high with wooden boxes jutted from the wall almost half way across the cavernous room, cutting off the area they were in from the remainder of the empty space. Several piles of empty pallets were stacked on the other side of the door.

He shook his head but continued to follow, the clamor of the wind whipping against thin walls almost drowning out the hard clang of his footsteps. They had almost reached their objective when she suddenly stopped.

"Dude, maybe you should wait outside."

"No Ellie, where you go, I am to go"

"Hey, I'm not trying to ditch ya." He stood in stubborn silence, arms crossed against his massive chest. "Pete…don't take this the wrong way…but right now, with the tin skin, you're seriously scary looking. I don't want anyone to freak." That did make some sense so he nodded, stepping back a few feet so he was outside the doorway's line of sight.

Turning the door knob, she gingerly pushed her way in. The high pitched squealing that followed signaled that Ellie had found at least one of her friends. He edged a little closer, but couldn't make out anything but the sound of whispering voices. He groaned quietly as the pain in his skull returned. He was just about to call out to her when Ellie emerged from the room cradling a black teenaged boy in her arms. His eyes were wide open but his expression was blank, with a thin stream of saliva dripping from one side of his slack mouth. Even seeing a seven foot metal man provoked no reaction at all. Before he could ask her what was wrong with him a young blond girl popped her head out of the door, took one look at him, and ducked quickly back into the dingy room. Colossus took a step toward the door, but something hard slammed into him, and he went skidding across the concrete floor. Getting up, he slowly extended his arms, walking gingerly in her direction. After a few steps he was stopped once more by…something. He pushed and the unseen barrier seemed to give slightly so he pressed even harder. The invisible force stiffened, and he heard a yelp from inside the office.

"Stop it Peter! You're hurting her! Shit, you must be freaking strong, Sally never felt a thing when I tried that."

"I am sorry Ellie. I did not know that what I felt was from her. How can she do this thing?"

"It's her power. We really don't know how it works, but if I don't calm her down she's not going to be able to control it. Here, hold D-Mack for me will ya? And Pete, can you turn off that metal skin? She's scared of you, and it might help her pull herself together."

He didn't like it, but right at the moment he couldn't think of anything better. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he was Piotr again. Instantly the pain in his head was gone and he couldn't help but smile in relief. Ellie nodded and gave him a small smile in return, her eyes glancing down.

"Um Pete…you might want to get a handle on things…not that Sally wouldn't kill for a free show, but she's like sixteen…"

Cursing silently, he quickly reached down, snatching the stretched and misshapen gray running shorts back up and cinching the drawstring of his uniform. When he'd arrived at the lower levels to board the plane Scott had asked him what he was going to wear. The X uni that Hank had designed for him wasn't ready (they were still testing it's elastic properties) so he told Scott that he'd just go with what he had on (a pair of jeans and a tee shirt). That is, until Hank reminded him in an irritated voice exactly what the change to Colossus would do to his spiffy wardrobe. Not that the shorts were much better, but at least the hockey jersey Hank had tossed him was still usable. Stifling a giggle, Ellie carefully placed the semi-conscious teen gently in his arms and walked slowly toward the entrance to Sally's refuge. After a few steps she felt the barrier and halted.

"Sally," she called out softly, "I told you he's on our side. He's trying to help me get you and D-Mack out of here. Can you please turn this off for me."

"He hurt me," the other girl whined from inside the darkened room. "Make him go away."

"I don't have time for your shit Sally. Peter is here with some friends to help us. Only thing is, we ain't going anywhere till you turn it off."

"I'm trying damn it!"

"Then try harder! Come on girl, I know you can do it. Just calm down babe, relax. Turn it off and we can get our butts out of here and sleep in a real bed tonight."

Peter stood away from the doorway, keeping himself out of the girl's line of sight, listening to their conversation. Which he could still hear, even though Ellie was talking softly, and he was at least ten feet away. The wind had stopped. Switching his com on, he tried to raise the others, but got nothing but static. He needed to find out what was happening. While he had no doubt that they could take care of themselves, he belonged with his team mates.

He'd just started to pace, more out of frustration than anything else, when he heard the sound of a door opening. Motioning Ellie to stop talking, he listened intently. The noise of feet running. Lots of feet and heading their way. He couldn't see who it was because of the rows of wooden boxes blocked his view. However, there was no point in taking any chances. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, visualizing himself six inches taller and made of metal. Nyet. Dashing back to Ellie, he thrust the boy into her arms and tried to shove her behind a nearby stack of pallets. Of course, since he was still Piotr, he couldn't budge her.

"Damn it Ellie," he whispered fiercely, "get out of sight until we know who it is that is coming."

She started to shake her head, then glanced down at the boy. "Pete, I can help you…"

"Help him," he demanded, pointing at the boy in her arms and this time when he prodded her, she moved, slipping behind the pallets. He stepped away and moved toward the door, but the invisible barrier that Sally projected was still in place. They were almost on top of him. Closing his eyes he tried to find the mental switch of his metal salvation. A harsh command snapped him out his trance.

"Don't move!"

Of course he obeyed, while taking in as much detail as his fear addled brain could assimilate. Details were important. Logan had drilled it into him repeatedly during the hours he'd spent teaching Peter how to box._You can't depend on you power alone. In a tight situation, your best weapon is your brain._ _Study everything. You'll find something you can use. _There were ten of them, dressed in the same dull green uniforms as the men that Ellie and he had taken out before. Except that they were more heavily armed. Peter recognized combat shotguns and several assault rifles along with the pistols and sub-machine guns the others had carried. Any one of which could easily kill him as he was now.

"Please," he said nervously, "I am unarmed."

"We don't have time for this shit," one of them declared in a flat voice. "Let's just shoot him and get the fuck out." The man stepped forward, raising his gun and for a moment Peter thought he was finished.

"No. Not yet. He's not on the list."

"So? This opp has been fucked from the word go. Maybe the intel was wrong."

"I'll remember you said that."

"We're wasting time," said another, "we've got five minutes."

"Just shut the fuck up." Then he turned to Peter, pulling his mask off. Brown hair running to grey, with a neatly trimmed mustache and a long thin scar on the right side of his face. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"A friend of mine called me. She asked me to come and get her out of this place."

The man stared at Peter for several seconds and then began to laugh. It was not a pleasant sound. "What's your fucking power boy?"

Shit. The shorts he wore, like all the schools exercise gear, sported a circled blue X. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"You're going to tell us sooner or later Russkie. Make it easy on yourself."

The man's gun was less than a foot away, pointed directly at his head. The others clustered around, not really paying attention. They had weapons, and he did not, so they dismissed him as a threat. Which is exactly what he wanted, so he couldn't tell them what he could really do. Especially since he found himself currently unable to do it. However, the man with the gun was expecting an answer. Something that he couldn't use against them and would not be visually obvious if they demanded a display. His mind raced through the mutant abilities that he was familiar with. Of course. An ability that they would find intriguing, but not a direct threat.

"I am able…my body is able to heal itself from any injury." Another chuckle, this one even more worrisome. The expression on the man's face told Peter he'd just made a mistake. Fighting a growing sense of panic, he closed his eyes and concentrated. There. He could almost see it. The mental switch that would activate his mutation. Just a moment more…

The blast of the gun sent a bullet tearing through his shoulder. He stumbled, clutching at the wound, then slowly slid to his knees, horrified at the blood that covered his right hand. His vision blurred, and he shook his head violently, fearful of the prospect of passing out. He felt a desperate need to get off his knees, to show them that he was an X-Man, but when he tried to stand the shooter kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling on his back.

"Don't look like that healing thing is working for you right now. Want to try again?"

"Just fucking kill him," one of the others grumbled, "we're running out of time."

"Last chance Russkie. Tell us what ya got or the world's gonna be short one mutie."

What could he tell him? Peter's struggled, trying to think of a way to explain what he could do. He heard a noise, like the sound of wood breaking and the expression on his tormentor's face changed from evil anticipation to comical surprise. Something large and square whizzed past him, glancing off the side of the other man's head with enough force to send him flying. It took him a few moments to grasp what was happening.

"Run Pete! Get your ass out!"

It was Ellie, another wooden pallet flying out of her hand. It whipped past, spinning like a fifty pound square Frisbee as it plowed into the men from Hydra, knocking some off their feet and crushing one against a steel post. Peter struggled to his feet, but before he could make a move he felt one of them grab him by the collar and something hard pressing into his back. Some of the others fired wildly as they scrambled to avoid the next missile, which sailed past and smashed into a wall. She pulled another one from the pile and jerked up to hurl it, but several bullets ripped into the wood. Ellie screamed, dropping the pallet, her hands clawing at her face. A single shot rang out and her body jerked back, blood spraying from her head as she tumbled behind the stack of pallets.

"Stupid bitch," one of them spat, an edge of fear in his voice. "She's not going to be happy. That was one of the muties she really wanted."

"Fuck it," someone answered, in a strangely calm voice. It was the one who had shot him, the same man that Ellie had nearly decapitated. Picking his gun up, he walked over to Peter as the man who had been covering him stepped back. There was a trail of blood streaming down from a gash on the side of his face to drip on the green cloth of his shoulder.

"Pigs," Peter spat in a low voice, "she was just a girl. How could you…"

His arm flicked out like a snake, striking Peter on the side of his head with the butt of his weapon, snapping the young Russian's head around. Peter, still dizzy from being shot, staggered and almost fell. His tormentor was smiling. He enjoyed this. Found pleasure in hurting him. In killing Ellie. And Peter had done nothing to help her. He had stood by uselessly while she had sacrificed herself trying to save him. Feelings of guilt mingled with shame hardened his determination to resist. A flash of movement caught his eye. Behind and above the man who had just struck him, on top of the boxes that walled them off from the rest of the warehouse. A figure moved in the shadows.

"She had a choice Russkie. Too bad you don't. I'd just as soon blow your brains out right now. The thing is, if we report in that we got no muties, we're dead men. So that means you get to live. Believe me, I'm not doing you a favor."

Peter shook his head slowly. For a moment the shape above had been outlined in the dim light. Only one person he knew had hair like that. "I will enjoy watching you die."

"So that's the way you want it," the man chuckled in a please tone of voice. "Fine. Then we'll carry you out." Pointing his gun at Peter's knee, he grinned.

The leering smile was permanently frozen as the shining blades of Logan's left hand whistled through the air, neatly slicing his head off. Wolverine had leaped off the stack of boxes, feet slamming into two of men on the way down even as his claws beheaded the one in front of him. Peter recoiled as warm blood splashed across his face, scrambling away from the carnage. Another headless body flew past, smacking wetly into the wall. Bullets zipped past him as he flattened himself against the cold concrete, watching in horror as the slugs tore through his Logan, bloody exit wounds exploding out of his back.

Roaring in pain and rage, Logan sprinted toward the nearest shooter, ramming his claws through his chest. As the corpse slid off the blades he lunged at the others. He lashed out, slicing though guns, arms, and hands, tearing through their flesh like a berserk threshing machine. Two men collapsed, screaming in agony, blood spurting from the stumps of their severed hands. The others tried to clamber away, firing wildly to give themselves some space. A bullet slammed into Logan's head, just above the left ear, and he stumbled back before snapping off a side kick that shattered a man's ribs. From his left a shotgun blast hit him in the shoulder, spattering his own flesh and blood across his face. The Hydra agent fired again, this time catching Logan full in the chest, knocking him off his feet. As the man stepped forward, leveling his weapon at Logan's face, Peter surged to his feet. He wasn't going to watch this happen again.

Three quick steps and he drove is hulking form into the man's back just as he pulled the trigger. Aim spoiled, the blast tore off the top of Logan's scalp as Peter slammed the man face first into the hard concrete. Grabbing his collar, Peter rolled both of them over as the other Hydra agents turned their guns on him. The body on top of him jerked repeatedly, absorbing the deadly hail of bullets, except for one the grazed his cheek. One of them stepped forward and kicked the corpse aside, but before he could get a clear shot three adamantium blades tore his gut open. Logan stepped in front of him, shielding Peter with his body. Bullets ripped into him, blood and gore staining what was left of his shirt, but the terrible wounds seemed to have no effect. The claws flashed and Peter felt his stomach churning at the sight of a man nearly cut in half. Peter rolled away from the deadly melee, but as he tried to stand something heavy cracked the back of his head. He fell to his knees and started to toppled over when a hand yanked him up by his hair.

"Don't come any closer freak!" The raw fear in that voice made Peter swallow. Logan stood as still as a statue, blood streaming down his face, claws dripping gore from the man he had just eviscerated, staring with dead eyes.

"You hurt him and I'll make sure you take fucking forever to die."

"Don't worry about him Patch, cause you're coming with us too," the man behind him shouted, his voice cracking. Peter could feel the gun twitching against the side of his face as the hand that held it shook. "Cause we'll kill this X brat if you don't. What? You think we didn't know. Hell, she'll be almost as happy with him as she will with you."

Logan sneered, his lips curling into a feral grin. Then he moved, but not in the way Peter expected. Instead of a furious charge, he took several quick steps and then halted, lifting his right hand, the claws still dripping. The perfect target. Peter flinched when the gun went off right next to his ear. But the weapon wasn't aimed at him, it was his friend who jerked spasmodically as the rounds tore gaping wounds in his torso. The other man joined in, pumping several rounds from his shot gun into Logan's back after he'd collapsed. Blood was leaking out of him, a crimson pooling spreading on the floor. Peter knelt in shock, rooted to the floor as the man behind him walked slowly over to Logan and rolled him over with his foot. Thick red gore streamed from his nose and mouth, a soft gurgling sound the only noise Peter could hear in the deathly silence. The Hydra agent gasped audibly as Logan's eyes snapped open, staring straight at Peter. Then he shoved another magazine into his weapon.

"Word is you can't fucking die freak. Let's find out"

Logan roared in agony as they pumped bullets into him. Then one of them laughed, a venomous cackle, while the other one looked at Peter and smiled. Peter felt something snap inside as the fear and shame he felt became a rage that made him sick. Something was happening to him, and he remembered it well. He could feel it start in the pit of his belly and spread to his chest and then the rest of his body. Just like that night four years ago, when he became Colossus for the first time. The night they came for his sister.

_You don't cheat the mob. Especially the Russian variety. Nothing would keep them from getting their own back. Nikolai Rasputin had been a driver at first and then a courier; a trusted man. Huge sums of money had passed through his hands. Eventually, the temptation was too much. Usually the punishment for such an infraction was death. But the theft had happened months ago and his father had gambled the money away. What to do? So they tortured Nikolai, while Piotr was forced to watch, demanding that he give them something of equal value. Finally, when they produced a power drill and told him that they would bore his eyes out, Nikolai agreed to give them something. He agreed to give them his daughter Illyana. This pleased them so much that the mobsters decided to let Nikolai live. They could sell her for nearly as much as the amount that he had stole from them. They would recoup the rest from Illyana's body. Since his father had passed out from loss of blood, they would force Piotr to watch instead. When Piotr begged them to leave her be, even offering himself in her place, they laughed. What kind of men did he think they were?_

_At first, Illyana didn't really understand what was happening. After all she was only twelve years old. They didn't care about that either. One of them held a gun to Piotr's head while the other dragged Illyana into her bedroom. When they ordered her to strip she looked at Piotr and it took all of his willpower not to turn away. One of them smiled at him as he began to undo his belt. The shame and fear that he felt became a rage that made him sick. These men were no better then vermin, filth that deserved to die. Though he knew in his heart it was wrong, he prayed that God would grant him the chance to revenge his sister. _

_The sick feeling became worse, as if something solid and immoveable had filled his gut. Panic overtook him momentarily, as the feeling spread to his chest and lungs, and he was suddenly unable to draw breath. A dull clang sounded, like an old church bell. One of the thugs had thrown his weeping sister onto the bed and had started tearing at her clothing. He turned to stare, the look of casual arrogance on his face turned suddenly to horror. Peter turned, his movements slow and stiff. The man who had been behind him was pressed against the wall. His mouth moved, but no sound came out. The gun in his hand fired and…he didn't feel a thing. God had answered his prayer. _

_Piotr lashed out hitting him in the chest. There was a loud crunching sound as the thug was blown through the wall. What slammed into the table across the adjoining room was little more than bloody pulp. Peter barely noticed, because he was preoccupied with the sight of his hand. His metal hand. He turned his attention to the man who had been about to rape his sister. He was a pathetic sight, pants down around his ankles, hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer, telling Piotr it had all been a mistake. Piotr took one step and then another. He towered over the wretch by over a foot. He brought his right hand slowly down until his palm rested on the sweaty forehead. Then he squeezed. A hollow crunch as the man's head imploded, the blood and brains spraying over his metal arms and chest. Piotr stared at his hand for several moments as the gore of blood mixed with grey matter and bits of bone dripped off it to spatter on the floor. Then he turned his gaze on Illyana. She was gaping at him, breathing in shallow gasps, shuddering at the sight of him. Then her mouth opened, and she began to scream._

A gentle metallic clang heralded the return of Colossus. The throbbing pain of his shoulder wound became excruciating, burning fire through his body. For a moment, he thought he would pass out. As he struggled to his feet the roar of gun fire died away. Both men were turned away from him, gloating over the bleeding body at their feet.

"Do you fucking believe it," one of the crowed proudly, "we took the mutie bastard down!"

"Human filth," Peter shouted in a hollow metallic voice, "you will hurt him no more!"

Their heads jerked around at the harsh sound, eyes agog at what they were seeing. A shining seven foot tall figure of steel. Peter stalked toward them, ignoring the bullets that bounced harmlessly off his silvery skin. When the guns clicked empty, his hands closed around the useless pieces of metal. Wrenching the weapons out of their hands, he crushed them, letting the pieces fall to the ground. Gleaming arms shot out, his fingers closing over their helmets like a vice. He smiled inside at the look of terror on their faces. He knew that killing was wrong, truly believed in the Professor's ideals. However, sometimes you had to make exceptions to the rules.

"Don't do it Pete," a voice croaked, so weak that Peter could barely make it out. "I ain't worth it…those fuckers…they ain't worth it."

Peter looked down at his friend. The expression on his blood smeared face seemed almost peaceful. For a moment the anger within warred with Logan's voice. He'd never once regretted what he'd done to the men who had hurt Illyana. Only the fear that his actions had invoked in her. Fear of him, of what he was. His fingers opened, and he brought the palms of his hand down on their Kevlar clad heads hard enough to knock them both out.

For a few seconds he just stood there, marveling at the silence, grimacing at the bodies strewn about the area. He bent down to examine Logan. His skin was cold and clammy to the touch, his breathing ragged and irregular. He knew that couldn't be good. The very fact that Logan had not already shown signs of recovery worried him.

He heard a soft groan, and it took him a few seconds to realize it was not from Logan. He looked around, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from until he heard it again. It was Ellie. He hurried over, relieved that she was alive. He found her slumped behind the stack of pallets, her body draped over that of the boy she had been trying to protect. There was blood, a lot of it. Gently, he turned her over, shocked at the sight. Some kind of wound that was leaking blood from her head and a thin sliver of wood lodged in her left eye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Beast wanted to play. He growled softly, the animal within excited by the carnage spread out before him. The maddening scent of blood and the mangled remains that had once been men. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his tongue lolled out, tasting the bitterness that hung heavy in the air. The slim, strong hand of his love gripped his arm, and as he turned to look into her beautiful eyes and just like that he was once more Henry McCoy. The other retreated back to the dark corner of his mind that Hank preferred not to think about. He drew a shaky breath, and turned his attention to those that needed his help. Rather than focus on death, he needed to concentrate on the living.

Peter stood in the middle of the butchery, cradling a bloody figure carefully in his massive arms. As Colossus, Peter's face was normally an immovable mask of metal. Now his young friend wore an expression of indescribable sadness. As Hank approached, he suddenly realized why.

"My God Peter," he groaned, "is that…?"

"I am sorry Dr. McCoy. I tried to get her to return with me, but she would not do so."

The limp, blood spattered girl in his metal clad arms was barely recognizable. The left side of her face was stained red, and he growled low in his throat when he saw her damaged eye. A teenage girl sat close to Peter, rocking back and forth, weeping quietly. Next to her was a boy, maybe sixteen years old, curled in a fetal position with no wounds that Hank could discern. Logan was sprawled nearby, surrounded by corpses in various states of dismemberment. His clothing was little for then bloody rags, revealing the ghastly damage of numerous bullet wounds that scored his body. Wounds that were healing far more slowly than they should be.

"Peter," he said softly, gesturing to the floor by his feet, "please put her down here, so that I can examine her."

With surprising gentleness for his massive size, Peter knelt down, setting her carefully where he had indicated. Hank quickly checked her vitals, gratified to find they were strong and stable. There was a gash on her head that was still seeping blood, but what really concerned him was her wounded eye. He was tempted to draw the splinter out, but had neither the time nor the equipment to do so safely. Shaking his head in frustration, he made his way over to Logan.

His friend's breathing was coming in short, sharp gasps, with both respiration and pulse much higher than normal. His skin was deathly pale, and felt cool and clammy to the touch. The wounds he had suffered seemed to be healing, but far more slowly than was normal for Logan. He took a closer look at one of his more grievous injuries. It was fresh and raw with only a tiny trickle of blood. Hank suspected that if he had the means to take Logan's blood pressure, it would be close to nonexistent.

"Goddess Henry," Ororo murmured, "is he…

"No," he answered with a sigh, "at least not for the moment. We must get him some place where I can treat him properly. His vital signs are extremely elevated, and I believe that this, as well as his retarded healing factor, is the result of his having lost a great deal of blood. Both he and Ellie are in need of immediate medical attention."

"Can you help them?" Peter's voice, coming from above as he peered down, a frown deeply etched on his face.

"Not here Peter," Ororo said gently. She bent down and whispered something into the girl's ear. She didn't really respond, but allowed Ororo to pull her to her feet.

"Ororo is right Peter. We must get them to a facility where they can receive proper medical attention." Hank noticed the boy had rolled over on his back and that his eyes were open. He moved over to examine the teenager.

"What is wrong with him," Hank asked Peter as he confirmed the absence of visible injuries.

"I do not…Dr. McCoy…who are these people?"

Hank looked up, startled to see Peter staring ominously at Hill and her team. He watched in growing alarm as the metal giant began to advance on the SHIELD agents. For their part they had stopped in their tracks at the sight of him, hands going for their weapons.

"Peter," he practically shouted, "there is no need, they are allies…"

"Stand down Colossus," Ororo ordered firmly, cutting him off. She gave the girl in front of her a comforting hug and then strode toward the metal giant. When she was close enough that only they could hear she looked him straight in the eye. "When you are on a mission, you do what you are told. You follow our lead at all times."

"But Ms. Monroe, how was I to know that they were not the enemy?"

"Were they shooting at us," she asked in a droll voice. At the abrupt shake of his head she gave him a soft smile. "That is why you are not to take any action unless the team leader orders it. Since Scott is not here, that means me."

For a moment Peter's mouth hung open, as if he didn't quite know what to say. "Of course Ms. Monroe. Where is Mr. Summers?"

"He…was injured…his leg. Don't worry Peter, he's going to be fine."

"Not unless we get out of here," Hill hissed. She glanced at the human wreckage strewn across the floor, her head jerking back when her gaze fell on Logan. "Holy shit, what the hell happened to him?"

"You mean besides the bullet wounds?" Hank shook his head as he left the boy, moving back to check on his friend once more.

"I thought he healed," she answered coldly.

"Every gift has it's limits," Hank snapped, ruthlessly suppressing the spark of pure rage he felt at her callousness. It was an easy enough assumption to make, one he was sure that even those that knew him well (did anyone) found it hard to resist. No matter what damage Logan suffered, eventually he'd heal. Once again, he checked his pulse. Not much of a change. If anything, it seemed to be stronger. A low rumble, like the sound of distant thunder, rang in his hears, followed quickly by a series of short, sharp explosions. The foul stench of burning chemicals that had hung in the air like a lingering perfume grew stronger by the moment.

"Come on McCoy, move the furry blue ass of yours. We need to get out now!"

Hank turned toward Hill, irritated by her hectoring. Before he could say anything, the man beside him began to stir. Small movements at first, almost involuntary twitching. Then he began to thrash about, albeit without much force in his weakened state. Carefully, Hank grasped his hand, alert for any sign of the deadly claws. Instantly, Logan's eyes flew open and his free arm flopped against him, as if he was trying to push him away. Eyes staring at something Hank couldn't see and then a hacking cough that spewed out chucks of clotted blood.

"Get back to the sap you fucking mick," he rasped, another fit of hacking sending him into convulsions.

"Logan?" Was he delirious, or having some kind of flashback? "Can you hear me?" He didn't know how much more the man's overstressed healing factor could take.

"I can hear em Sean…the fucking mortars…you know I ain't needin the docs…get the fuck away from me…"

Another spasm wracked his battered body and for a moment Hank felt as if his hand was caught in a vice. A low whine escaped Logan's bloody lips and then his grip went slack, his body slumping back to unconsciousness.

"Henry, can he be moved?"

"I do not know Ororo. Do we truly have a choice?"

"No." Turning to face the girl, she reached out to gently cup her tear stained face. "What's your name," she asked softly

"Sally…Sally Blevins," she whispered, dragging her other hand across her stinging eyes. The smoke was getting thicker by the moment. "Can you help her," the girl choked out, looking down at her blood stained friend.

"We can and we will. First, we need to get her out of this place. I am Ororo Munroe. Will you help me Sally?"

"What can I do?"

"Show us the fastest way out of this hell hole."

It didn't take long to sort themselves out. Peter quickly moved to pick Ellie up, but Ororo stopped him with a gesture. "I will take her Peter. I need you to be free to make a way for us if we cannot find one." Kneeling down, she slid slender but strong arms under the girl and lifted her with a grunt. Turning to Sally she nodded, and the girl pointed to a door across the room. Hank joined her with Logan slung across his broad back in a fireman's carry as they set off with Sally leading the way.

"Where the hell are you going Monroe," Hill barked, as the band of mutants set off in the direction Sally indicated.

"You've been bitching to us about getting out," Ororo taunted. "Now kindly shut your mouth and move your ass so we can."

They moved quickly through a door which opened into a dark smoky hallway. Sally whispered directions as they navigated the maze of corridors. After several minutes passed the smoke grew thicker, and they found breathing to be difficult. When the dim emergency lights suddenly failed they fumbled around in the darkness, wasting precious time. Finally, after several of the SHIELD agents produced hand torches they were able to go on. Sally paused several times, confused by the darkness, her breath coming in short gasps. Ororo was dizzy and had a pounding headache while Sally clutched at Peter's arm to remain upright. One SHIELD agent had collapsed and was being dragged by the others, while two more who were hauling the black teenager had stumbled several times, but hadn't managed to drop him yet. Hank soldiered on, his eyes and throat burning, the weight of Logan bearing down on him. Only Peter was unaffected. He placed himself at the front of the line with one of the flash lights, his gleaming metal body a beacon for those who followed.

After several more false turns, Sally called out in a rough voice that they were almost there. Out of the murky haze, a door suddenly materialized. Calling for the others to stop, Ororo ordered Peter to check it. Approaching cautiously, he slowly pushed it open. He saw a small metal platform just beyond the door attached to the wall. The outside wall. Cool crisp air and darkened cloudy skies never felt or looked so good. Behind him, he could feel the others crowding forward toward the fresh air, and he held up his hand to stop them. Carefully, he stepped onto the platform.

"Wait Peter," Ororo whispered fiercely, "don't…"

Sometime snapped as his full weight settled on the metal grate, and he felt himself lurch forward as it pulled out of the rotten brick wall it was bolted to. Peter was pitched over the low railing, landing face first on the hard concrete forty feet below. Muttering Russian curses he stood up, quickly scanning the area for any sign of trouble. Hank came next, leaping out of the doorway and grunting at the hard impact caused by Logan's weight as he hit the ground. Within moments, several thin but strong lines had been lowered and as soon as the Shield agents had secured them, the others began to descend. Hank handed Logan over to Peter and bounded off into the darkness.

As soon as everyone was on the ground Ororo urged them into a run, anxious to put as much distance between them and the burning structure as possible. Glancing over his shoulder, Peter saw orange and purple flames dancing along the roof as thick black smoke poured out of the burning structure. He felt almost giddy at their escape, especially considering how close he'd come to being killed just a few minutes ago. Turning away from the horrible sight, he saw they were approaching a chain ling fence topped with razor wire. Shifting Logan's dead weight gingerly to his injured arm, he tore a large gap in the barrier. As soon as everyone was through, they set off again, Ororo ordering them to pick up the pace. The stumbled along, weaving around piles of junk and puddles of noxious liquids until they reached an expanse of crack asphalt. Before Ororo could decide if she wanted them to follow it a large shape loomed over head and the Beast dropped from the sky, landing lightly on the balls of his furry feet.

"There is a problem my dear," Hank stated, in a neutral voice. "Three vehicles are approaching along this road. I do not think they are friendly."

"Not SHIELD," Hill chipped in. Before she could elaborate, there was a sharp pop and a flash of white light centering on the device she wore on her belt. Swearing profusely she tore the smoking piece of plastic off her belt and threw it on the ground.

"What happened," Ororo asked. Peter did not like the tone of her voice.

"We're fucked, that's what," Hill snarled. "That was my jamming device. All radio frequencies are now in the clear."

"How long?"

"Maybe two minutes. They'd have to reset the detonator."

"Hank, get them out of here. I'll deal with…"

"No Ms. Munroe," Peter demanded, "it should be me who is to stay!" When she started to protest he fixed her with metallic eyes. "I am one who has the best chance. You know this."

Hank stepped forward to protest, but Storm cut him off with a gesture. Quickly, Peter transferred Logan into the Beasts waiting arms. Peter knew he was right. Hydra would detonate their bomb, but he would survive. He _**was**_ the only one of them who stood a chance. She looked into his eyes for a long moment and then nodded, her beautiful face twisted in anguish. "Don't you die on me Peter," she whispered, then turning to the others, Ororo screamed one word.

"RUN!"

Even as they sprinted away Peter heard the sound of squealing tires as three large SUVs careened out from behind a large mound of rubble. Crouching in the shadows he waited patiently as they sped toward him One of the windows rolled down and a man dressed in Hydra green wedged himself half way out and began to shoot at the others as they ran. Anger boiling within, Colossus stood up and stepped in front of the lead car.

Brakes shrieked as the driver tried to stop, terrified at the metal giant that suddenly appeared in front of him. The car slammed into Colossus with a crunch of metal and shattering of glass. Even with his body braced for impact, Peter was thrown backward as the car skewed around, smashing into another one, bring them both to a grinding stop. The third SUV, swerving wildly to avoid the smash up, slid off the road and rolled over into a drainage ditch. Lurching to his feet, Peter approached the hissing wreckage and peered through the open windshield. A figure was slumped over, air bags deflating to reveal and ugly gash on his forehead. The other man had been ejected, his body slamming into the second car. He laid sprawled across the hood. Car doors flew open as three men tumbled out of the other SUV, weapons at the ready. Then they got a good look at him.

"Drop your weapons," Peter ordered, and for an instant he really thought they'd do it. The one on his left actually dropped his gun and was raising his hands when one of the others shot him in the head. Peter was close enough that the dead man's blood and brains splattered across his chest.

Without conscious though he moved toward the other two, enraged by what had just happened. Ignoring the bullets that bounced off him, he brushed one aside with his arm, sending him flying into the night. Grabbing the shooter's wrist, he squeezed, satisfied by the snap of bones and the wail of pain. Seizing the man's tunic, he hauled him up until their faces only inches apart.

"Animal." he barked, fighting the urged to smash the helpless human to pulp. "He was your comrade. How could you…"

"HAIL HYDRA!"

A flash of searing light erupted, a brightness so intense that Peter felt like his eyes had been stabbed. For a crucial moment, he could see nothing but a blinding whiteness that blotted everything out. Everything but the sound. It was a roaring, rumbling thing that grew impossibly loud, like a train racing down the tracks right into his head. Looking away from the painful incandescence, Peter blinked twice. Then he saw it, out of the corner of his eye. The boiling mass of flame and debris, rolling toward him like a wave. It engulfed him, tearing the Hydra agent from his grasp, splattering the hapless man to a bloody pulp. The fire washed over Colossus, and he could feel it, searing his metal skin. Surprised by the pain he doubled over as the shock wave slammed into him. The force of it catapulted him into the air, into a tumult of flotsam, heat and noise. Peter was whirled through the cyclone of destruction, battered by wreckage which had been transformed into deadly missiles by the force of the explosion. Something slammed into his lower back and the pain was so intense he nearly blacked out. Panic gripped him. If he lost consciousness he would lose the protection of his mutation. After what seemed an eternity he plowed head first into a concrete barrier, smashing through the top of it, then sliding over the muddy ground on his back, gouging a furrow across the soft ground. The front of destruction roared past him, with bits of burning wreckage raining down from the sky.

Fighting a sudden urge to vomit, Peter rolled slowly over on his stomach. He tried to stand, but felt so dizzy he could barely manage to stay on his knees. Frantically he searched for his team mates through the dense cloud of dust kicked up by the shock wave of the explosion. At first he could see nothing and despair gripped him. Flesh and blood could not have survived what he had just gone through. Then something caught his eye, an oddly shaped pile of rubble to his left. He crawled toward it until he reached a broken piece of concrete big enough for him to use as a lever. As he pushed himself up the wind began to blow harder, coalescing around the mound of debris. Chunks of it flew off as a whirling cloud of dust formed around it. Then as suddenly as it started, the air stilled and as the dust settled Peter could see figures moving where the pile had been. Some how, they were alive.

The weight of his metal body became more than he could bear. He could feel himself fading as he slid sluggishly down, until he was sitting on the ground, slumped against the rough stone. He attempted to cry out, wave, give them some signal that he was alright. However, no matter have hard he tried, he couldn't make the sounds come out. The change came gradually, he could actually see his metal clad legs fade to flesh. Naked flesh. The clothing he'd worn had been stripped off his armored form. The wind began to blow again, and he heard a soft thump, and he looked up into the face of Ororo Munroe. It was a beautiful face, even covered with dirt and the blood that was dripping from her scalp. She was trying to tell him something, but as the darkness closed in he couldn't understand what it was.

**A/N: Many apologies for those of you that are still following this story. I had a lot of trouble getting through this chapter. However, I think the rest of the story will come a little easier. No promises, I've learned my lesson there. Thank you to everyone who as taken the trouble to leave a review. Any feedback you leave is greatly appreciated. Don't hesitate to be critical. I'm sure there is a lot of room for improvement.**


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

"**Don't come any closer freak!"**

**He'd been too fucking slow. Because of that, two of them were still standing. The other six were either dead or bleeding out, but that didn't really help him right now. Because one of those lucky bastards that he'd failed to gut was holding a gun to Pete's head, and there was no way he could reach them before he pulled the trigger. Especially considering that he could barely stand. Burning agony blazed a trail down the left side of his body, a sure sign his healing factor was kicking into over drive. What the hell it was fixing, he had no idea. He just knew that the pain had started the moment he'd jumped off the pile of wooden crates and had gotten much worse since. It had slowed him down, dulling his reflexes, making him an easier target for the Hydra fuckers he was carving up. Hell, even at the top of his game, he wasn't sure he'd be quick enough to close the distance before the guy put a bullet in the kid's brain. So he'd just have to come up with another plan. A way to get those sorry assholes close enough. Damn, this was going to hurt. Growling fiercely, he stared straight into the eyes of the man who had his gun on Pete.**

"**You hurt him and I'll make sure you take fucking forever to die."**

**He smiled inwardly at the sour smell of the man's spiking fear. "Don't worry about him Patch, cause you're coming with us too." He had to play this just right. The fuckers hand was shaking so badly that he was worried that his pistol might go off.**

"**Cause we'll kill this X brat if you don't," the other asshole shouted. Shit, who told them? "What? You think we didn't know. Hell, she'll be almost as happy with him as she will with you."**

**He smiled at the knowledge that she wouldn't be too happy about anything right now. Not after the beat down Hank had given her. He took several quick steps, then stopped, raising the bloody claws of his right hand above his head. The gun pointed at Pete's head jerked around, firing wildly as the Hydra agent quickly emptied it into Logan. Several slugs slammed into his torso, tearing through the soft tissue of his body. This was his chance, the opening he was looking for. He tried to move his feet, but a few faltering steps drained all his strength and the concrete floor seemed to rise up and smack him in the face. A straggled scream of agony was torn from his mouth as the bullets and shot gun blasts plowed into him, ripping through his flesh as he jerked and thrashed about in torment. His left side felt like a red hot knife had been thrust into it. Finally, the shooting stopped. They were shouting something at him, but he couldn't understand. Nothing seemed to work as the blackness clawed at him. **

"**Human filth, you will hurt him no more."**

**It was Pete, sounding like Colossus instead of a helpless target. Gunfire erupted again, and the odor of fear blossomed into terror, mixing with the overpowering stench death. Images flashed through his brain, of blood and mud and chucks of pulverized flesh that had once been human. A thin scream sounded as the guns fell silent. With a shudder of pain, he slowly rolled over on his side and forced his eyes to open.**

**The gleaming figure he saw must have been Pete, but the mask of hate that twisted his handsome features didn't look like him at all. Huge steel hands seized their useless weapons, tearing them from their weak fleshy grip, snapping the guns with ridiculous easy. The metal paws shot out again, palms closing over Kevlar helmets as Pete's lips curled into a vicious smile. There was no hesitation, no second thoughts. This was something the kid had done before. **

"**Don't do it Pete," he croaked, fighting the pain, barely able to make his mouth work. "I ain't worth it…those fuckers…they ain't worth it." **

**The great metal head turned and their eyes locked. Then the deadly fingers opened and steel palms came down on their heads. Hard enough to crack their helmets, but not to kill. As the pain faded and his eyes darkened, but Logan was at peace. Maybe Pete had killed before, but he wasn't a killer yet.**

_It was the smell he remembered first. _

_The overpowering sickly sweet stink of decay seemed to smother him. It was so thick that he imagined it was a solid thing, pressing down on him, suffocating in it's power. Gradually he parsed out different elements other than the rot of human flesh. There was the odor of thousand of unwashed bodies, the smell of sweat stained wool, the reek of human waste. The familiar whiff of cordite and metal. And of course the blood. Old and stale, as well as fresh. The multitude different variations of that scent from an ocean of gore spilled by a hoard of faceless men. Each of these scents he was familiar with individually, but the intensity, the sheer weight of them was overwhelming. It should have at least had him puking his guts out, and he wondered how he could have stood this for any length of time without being reduced to gibbering insanity. _

_Gradually his memory began to fill in other details, stimulating his other senses. Forms took shape in the blackness, revealing a nightmarish landscape of mud and rock, stripped clean of any other visible object save the large crater he was lying in. Slowly he became aware of other sensory input, primarily the ruined condition of his own body. He was wearing a torn and blood soaked uniform, and there was a jagged piece of metal sticking out of his stomach. Funny, since besides the splitting headache that he had there wasn't any pain. Just an odd tingling that seemed to run through his entire body. Grimacing at the thought, he tried to move his arm, intending to yank the bloody piece of shrapnel out. His arm twitched, and the tingling seemed to get more intense, but that was all. Fuck. He spent a little time trying to find out what still worked. Nothing but small spasms when he tried to get his limbs to move, and now that he was looking for it, his breathing didn't seem to be quite right. However, with a supreme effort, he found that he could move his head. To his left, on the other side of the crater, was a rifle. His rifle. A Lee-Enfield SMLE Mark III. How he knew that, he had no idea. What he did know was the desperate need he had to feel the weapon in his hands. He tried to move his arms once more, and this time his left one flopped weakly against his chest. Muttering curses he turned away and froze. Directly over his head, bunched along the rim of the crater, was a tangled mass of barbed wire._

_Pure loathing welled up inside at the sight of it, as he remembered how many good men had died trying to preserve that barrier. Men he had come to think of as the nearest thing he'd ever have to a family. One by one, they were killed, maimed, or driven out of their minds in the never ending mission of repairing the wire. After the first few weeks of concentrated death, there were a dozen of them left out of the original fifty in the platoon. Boys had been turned into hardened men, willing to watch each others back. Men he could respect. Men who; and this was the thing that shocked him, respected him. He was the ultimate survivor, and here that counted for a lot. After a while that respect became something else. What he wasn't sure of, but for the first time in his life he knew what it was to have people depend on you, and to depend on them. He found to his surprise that he liked it. Something inside him settled at the idea of being part of a group after being on his own for so long. Learning to trust wasn't easy for him by any means, but here it was that or die._

_Eventually they learned his secret. There was no way he could avoid revealing it out here. As it was, his miraculous ability to escape injury caused the Irishmen in his unit to claim he was stealing their luck. While it was good natured, it also told him that they knew there was…something different about him, and that it was ok. He wrestled with it for a few days, but when the sergeant was killed he decided to tell. It was the third time in a week that someone had died while fixing the wire. No one complained, because it had to be done. Otherwise, the fucking Huns would slit their throats while they slept. That didn't change the fact that every time they crawled out of their trenches into the night the odds of survival fell dramatically. He did what he could, volunteering to lead every detail. The others didn't like that, but he could be very persuasive. _

_At first it made a difference. With his senses, he could avoid the inevitable booby traps. He could even hear the deadly mortars firing over a mile away, giving them precious seconds to go to ground. The only casualties they suffered were some new recruits too slow or stupid to listen. He didn't give a shit about them. In the end though, it only made things worse. The brass hats noticed how good his unit was at repairing the wire; how few of them got killed doing it. Instead of twice a month it became once a week, and eventually every other day. With those kind of odds even he couldn't protect them. One by one the fucking wire killed them, while he seethed at the assholes who did this, dying inside a little more each time. He had to do something, and while killing the colonel was the most attractive option, he didn't think it would help much. They would only send another bastard to take his place. So instead, the night after sergeant Conners got his brains blown out by a sniper, he sat the three remaining members of the original platoon along with the lieutenant down, and told them that from now on he would repair the wire. Alone._

_The three veterans acted like he'd suggested that they surrender, shouting him down every time he opened his mouth to explain. At first the lieutenant said nothing, but after the others calmed down, he asked him what he could be thinking to propose such a thing. Instead of answering with words, he slipped the bayonet out of his belt and slashed the palm of his hand. Before they could do much more then cry out the wound began to heal. He braced for the disgust, the horror that would follow their discovery of what he was. Instead, what he got was a few moments of stunned silence. Then Delaney quickly crossed himself and the lieutenant remarked about how this explained a lot. After he haltingly spelled out what he could do, the silence returned. Finally, it was Delaney who spoke first._

"_Doesn't change a bloody thing." When Logan opened his mouth to challenge that, the Irishman cut him off. "You spoke your piece canuck, now just shut your trap and listen. You think you're the only one feeling like he was stabbed in the gut every time one of his mates cops a packet? Ain't none of us likes the notion of jumpin the bags, but that don't mean we aim to let one of our own take the chance for us."_

"_He's right mate," Jones, the Australian piped up. After lighting up, he took a drag on his smoke, offering his pack around. "Old sweats like us gotta stick together. I ain't ever dodged the column since I joined up. Ain't about to start it now."_

"_This…thing of yours…bloody extraordinary," Maxfield chimed in. He thought the man smelled nervous, and that was a surprise. Maxfield was easily the most educated, open minded man in the outfit, besides the lieutenant. "Still, if the Boche drops a Blind Pig on your noggin, your going to be just as dead as any of us. Right?" At his nod the man went on. "There it is then. How the bloody hell do you think we'd feel, you becoming a land owner cause we let you take our place?" _

_One by one, the three of them filed out of the dugout, leaving only Logan and the lieutenant. The younger man pulled a pipe out of his pocket and carefully packed it. Once it was going, he took a few puffs. "You need not worry about them saying anything Howlett."_

"_I know that. What about you…sir? Isn't your duty to report this?"_

"_Bugger duty! You saved my life man. You've saved all of us more then once, just as we have risked ourselves to protect you. I might be a bit dense at times, but one thing I have learned is that here the only real loyalty a man can have is to those that fight along side of him."_

_He chuckled quietly at the irony. Men risking their life's to save him, in several cases dying to protect someone who didn't need it. Because that's what you did. He had spent so much time on his own that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to need others. And to have others need him. Or maybe it was just the guilt he felt watching men die when they didn't need to. He started to get up, but the lieutenant motioned for him to sit back down._

" _I might have a solution to our dilemma." He laughed softly at Logan's raised eyebrow. "Yes…our dilemma. What do you think it does to me, seeing good men die at my order, even if I'm just relaying that order from someone else? When I signed up in fourteen, I couldn't wait to get out here, to fight for king and empire. By God, what a fool I was!" _

_The lieutenant had been told earlier that day that the regiment was due to be rotated out of the line in five days. Of course he acknowledged, this still left plenty of time to get them all killed. However, it also offered him some scope for deception. The men would be told that because of their earlier exemplary service in repairing the wire, they were being held out of further operations. That was of course false. The brass hats would expect them to go out twice more, only instead of the three or four they usually sent out, only one would serve. _

_So that's how he found himself lying in a shell hole in the dark of the night, his body bleeding and broken from the round that had burst directly overhead. He chuckled quietly, remembering Delaney's crack about his luck. What a fucking joke. For all of his incredible abilities, he'd never heard it coming. The Huns had gotten him by mistake, a short round that had been targeted at artillery that was miles away. Then again he realized, maybe he had been lucky. If the five-nine had exploded on impact, well even he wouldn't be able to grow back from the little pieces that would have been left. As it was, he wasn't going any place for a while. Probably had a fractured spine. God, he hated those. The lack of feeling below the shoulders had gradually given way to a burning sensation that past experience told him would turn to painful agony as his severed nerve endings grew together once more. A flash of movement to his right caused him to turn his head painfully. Less then ten feet away, crouched by the lip of the crater, was the biggest rat he'd ever seen._

_It stared at him with hungry eyes, sniffing the air cautiously. At the low growl that rumbled from his throat it scrabbled back from the edge, but he could still see those eyes. After a short time, it came on again, nimbly crawling down the steep slope of the shell hole, stopping just beyond reach. He tried to lash out with his arm, but all he could manage was a few feeble movements. The rat retreated a few feet, still staring, it's whiskers trembling with excitement. Slowly, the rodent inched forward again, stopping for a few seconds when his arm twitched. He could smell the stink of the rotting bits of flesh smeared across it's greasy pelt. When the soft black nose nudged against his hand he shuddered, knowing what would come next. The rat skittered around his arm, crawling toward his face. Images of countless corpses danced through his mind, their eyes, ears and nose chewed off buy the rats. He growled again, more in fear then anger and it stopped, inches away from his nose. Something metallic flashed before his eyes and the beast was impaled by a gleaming bayonet._

"_Got you, you evil bugger!"_

_It was Sean Delaney, along with Jones and Maxfield. All three of them were crouched at the lip of the crater looking rather smug. At least until they got a good look at his condition._

"_My God man…what happened…I thought that you couldn't be…"_

"_I bleed same as you Irish. I just get better a hell of a lot quicker."_

"_Don't look that way to me boyo."_

"_Get back to the sap, you fucking Mick."_

"_Not without you," the Irishman answered, in a low determined voice. "You might be a foul mouthed canuck, but I'd hope that you'd gotten it through your thick head by now that you're one of us. We take care of our own Jimmy boy."_

_Despite his cursing, the three of them began scrambling down into the crater. The noise of their lose kit nearly obscured the dull hollow thumps that sounded from the direction of the German lines. He cried out, his arms flailing weakly as he tried to push the three of them away._

"_Relax laddie," Delaney murmured, "We'll get ya back. Then the docs can give ya something for the pain."_

"_I can hear em Sean…the fucking mortars…you know I ain't needin the docs…get the fuck away from me…"_

_It was over in a few deadly moments. Explosions blossoming all around them, blanketing the area in a storm of fire and steel. Maxfield, standing at the lip of the crater, was blown to a bloody pulp. Jones and Delaney were shielded from the blast effects because they were inside the shell hole with him. It was the shrapnel that killed them, from bombs that were set to explode in the air. The jagged metal ripped into their bodies, tearing gaping, bloody wounds into the soft flesh. Bits of tissue and blood splattered across his body, but he was not injured. His comrades had shielded his flesh with their own. For several seconds he stared at Delaney as the Irishman's lips moved soundlessly, listening to his friend's erratic heartbeat. Then, when there was only silence, he began to scream, drowning out the noise of the mortars firing again, a howl of pain and despair that was suddenly cut off…_

…_**by blackness and pain. He was cast into darkness, where there was wailing and gnashing of teeth. And he was alone. To him that seemed the worst of it, the thing that he couldn't bear. He started to scream again…**_

…_**then he heard a voice…and smelled a scent. The voice called out to him…and the scent calmed him. She was saying something to him in a soft, clear voice. At first he couldn't understand. At first, he only understood the scent. It was cedars and new flowers, mixed with the melting snow. A hand, soft and silky, caressed his face and when the voice spoke again he understood it. Once more, he knew it…**_

…_**it was strange, because a moment ago he would have sworn hers was a scent he had never smelled before…and he was never wrong about that. He always remembered the scent first…before the name…or the face…always the scent. This time, it had all come together at once. One moment there was nothing…just a black hole in his memory. The next she was there…the scent…the face…the name…all at once. Mariko. Feelings washed over him like a breaking wave. Love, tenderness, and a protective instinct that startled him with its intensity. And pride…pride that a woman of her worth would love him back. She spoke again in her musical voice and he was afraid to open his eyes, terrified that this was a dream…**_

"…_**Logan, please speak to me my love…"**_

…_**and he had to open his eyes, to look at her, to see her face…to gaze upon what he had lost…**_

"…_**was it the dream again…"**_

…_**and her face was every bit as beautiful to him as her scent…as her voice…**_

"…_**why will you not tell me? Why will you not allow me to share your pain…"**_

…_**her brown eyes…raven black hair that felt so soft, and smelled so good…the flawless skin of her face, stretched over high cheek bones…the lips, full and inviting…even her nose (which she hates…how does he know that?), which was too large in comparison to the rest of her face, fit her to perfection…**_

"_**I'm sorry darlin," he heard himself say in her language, with a voice so gentle that he can hardly believe it was his. "It was just a dream. I ain't about to dump my…crap on you."**_

"_**You say that you love me. Will you not allow me to love you in return? How can I do this if you will not share your pain with me?"**_

"_**Darlin…you know how much I love you," he pleaded, in a voice thick with emotion.**_

"_**Forgive me," she whispered, bowing her head, "I do not mean to cause you further grief. But what I am to think Logan, when you still keep secrets from me?" **_

"_**I don't want to lose you…your are the best…the only good that I've ever had in my life."**_

"_**I doubt that. And I do not doubt your love. Do you doubt mine?"**_

"_**Never."**_

"_**Then why this fear," she asked in a firm even voice. "There is nothing you could tell me that would change my feelings toward you. You are a man of honor, a samurai of old. I know your quality. I have seen it with my own eyes."**_

_**He couldn't think of any answer to that, so he gathered he in his arms and kissed her, losing himself in the softness of her lips, in the feel of her body against his own. He made a vow that before their marriage he would tell her the whole story of his life and let the chips fall were they would. He owed her that much and more. She already knew what he was. He'd just have to believe that she would still love him after she found out who he was. When they at last broke away she smiled, a wondrous sight that lit up her whole face. **_

_**Her hand came up to caress his face and she whispered how much she loved him, how eager she was to be his wife…and she began to fade…slipping into darkness…first her face…then her body…until it seemed only her hand remained…still caressing him…he heard himself pleading with her…begging her to stay with him...then a voice called out to him in a different language and a hand he was holding onto squeezed his…and instead of skin he felt leather…and the darkness faded…and he opened his eyes and found himself staring into another pair of soft brown eyes… only the face was different… and it was framed with white streaks of hair…**_

…Marie. Looking at him with wide eyes, her mouth hanging open. Then looking down, staring at her glove, slick with moisture. From his tears. She looked up and their eyes locked, but when she started to talk he scarcely heard to what she said, not even reacting when she stood up and hurried out of the room. All his concentration was turned inward, as he replayed every moment of what had just happened in his head. What it real, or just something his wretched brain had conjured up? How the fuck could he know? Someone was calling for Xavier, and he wanted to tell them to just shut the fuck up so he could think straight, until he realized it was his voice. He took a deep breath, trying to get his head straight, and he thought that his heart would stop. Because for a second he could have sworn that he was smelling the woman he'd just dreamed about. Again and again he inhaled, testing the air against his memory. No, not Mariko, it was Janet. The air was thick with her scent and while it wasn't sibling or even relative close, their aroma was more alike than any other two unrelated people he could remember smelling. Desperate to get away, he tried to sit up, but found that something was holding him down. His arms were strapped to the bed. With a roar, he snapped the restraints, just as the door opened and Hank McCoy stepped cautiously into the room.

The Beast stopped just inside the door, one hand held out in front of him, the other arm bandaged and in a sling. "Logan, please endeavor to remain calm. You are back at the mansion, among friends." Behind the wall of blue fur Marie and Janet slipped in, standing on either side of him.

"Friends," he growled harshly, staring at the other man. "Friends don't tie ya ta the fucking bed McCoy."

"He had to Logan," Janet cut in, sounding guilty enough for both of them. "You were thrashing around, releasing your claws. Hank was the only one strong enough to restrain you, and he couldn't be in here all the time. It was the only way he'd let me stay with you by myself."

He shook his head, hand rubbing at his eyes. The X-Men, the warehouse, the mutant kids he was trying to find. Hydra. "What the hell happened McCoy?"

"What do you remember?"

"Pete. Those Hydra fucks had him…shit, I think Ellie was there too…plus some other kids. I jumped em, but one of them got the drop on Pete. He wasn't Colossus, something screwy with his mutation." Why was everything so hazy?

"Get dressed," Hank said in a clipped voice. "I must check on my patient. We can talk in my office."

Before Logan could object, he was out the door, leaving him alone with Janet and Marie. Slowly he rolled over sitting on the edge of the bed. Janet stepped forward and carefully pulled off the leads attached to his body while Marie turned off the monitoring equipment. He carefully slid off the bed and found himself swaying on his feet, feeling exhausted with effort it took to simply stand. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Thanks for the free show sugar."

The damn sheet had slid off his body. His naked body. "Ain't ya ever seen a naked man before kid?"

"Ah most certainly have," Rogue answered with a cheeky grin, "but not this much of one."

Chuckling, he took the sweats that Janet handed to him and pulled them on, amused that neither woman bothered to hide that fact that they were staring. When he was finally covered up, Marie practically flew into his arms.

"Gawd Logan," she whispered in a shaky voice, hugging him fiercely, "Ah was so worried…"

"It's ok kid," he told her, patting her back awkwardly, "I'm fine now."

"Yeah," she answered stepping back, swiping a cloth covered arm across her eyes, "Ah know, the Wolverine always heals. Ah just wish Ah knew what the rest of us are supposed to do while that's goin on." Shaking her head, Rogue turned away, almost running out of the little room.

"She'll be alright Logan. It's just been hard on her…hard on us all."

"Christ darlin, the last thing I remember was that damned warehouse."

"You should talk to Hank. Just be easy on him…he's been going all out, without a break and practically nothing to eat. I know he feels bad about…"

"Hold on…let's back the truck up here. How long have we been back?"

"The plane arrived here nearly twelve hours ago. And yes…you've been in the med lab ever since.

"Half a fuckin day! I was out that long? You mind tellin me what's goin on?!"

"Sorry…the details area little hazy," she muttered angrily. "Something about blood loss and an aspect of your mutation that Hank wasn't aware of. Between you and Peter, we haven't had much time to talk."

"Hey, I'm sorry darlin. I shouldn't be cussing at you. I just don't get it how a couple a lousy bullets could do this."

"Try twenty-two of them. That's the number of visible wounds Hank counted when he started treating you. Who knows how many times they actually shot you." She turned away for a moment and Logan could smell tears. But when she spoke again it was in a calm voice. "Peter told us what happened. He said that you actually let those men shoot you. Why Logan?"

"They had us cold. I was at least ten feet away and one of the fuckers had a gun pointed at his head."

"I don't…what could letting them do that to you accomplish?"

"I figured after they pumped me full of lead they'd get careless. Only thought I'd be out a few minutes."

She turned to face him again, slowly shaking her head. She looked exhausted, smelled of anxiety and a hint of anger. He took one step, then another, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. It felt damn good. She buried herself into his chest and gave him a long, slow squeeze. He could smell a few tears, but when he kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him, she was smiling. It was her eyes that told him that there was still something wrong, and he could guess that it was something about him.

"What?"

"Not now," she answered softly, pulling away, "I've got to get back out there. There aren't many adults around at the moment. Talk to Hank." Janet kissed him on the cheek and stepped over to the door. It slid open, and she walked through the opening with Logan on her heels.

"What the hell…"

Instead of the main area of the med lab, they were in a tiny alcove facing another door. The one behind hissed shut and he heard the quiet hum of machinery and felt a slight change in air pressure.

"It's an airlock. For the kids. Some of them have poor immune systems. Not every mutation is always beneficial. Hank added the second door, so he'd have an isolation chamber, just in case."

Plus, it was another door he'd have to claw through if the Wolverine went berserk. Thing of it was he didn't blame Hank for being careful. If it was him, he'd do the same thing. As soon as second door slid open, the scents assaulted him.

First, there was the overall stink of the place, it's machines and medicines, the comforting smell of crisp cotton sheets blending with the eye watering stench of chemical disinfectants. If that wasn't enough to put him on edge, there was the emotional brew of the some of the mansions residents, gathered to watch over their wounded. Marie's anguish stood out from Bobby's concern, but both formed a weak backdrop to the near panicked anxiety of Kitty Pryde, laced with a strong dash of simmering anger courtesy of Jubilee. Floating above it all that like a bitter smog was the scent of Pete's pain.

Stepping into the room, he walked slowly toward the nearest bed. Pete was in it, sleeping peacefully, his shoulder bandaged. His complexion was a pasty white, and there was a strip of gauze covering the right side of his face. On the table next to the bed was a large book, some kind of science textbook. An empty chair was wedged into the corner by the table. He could smell Kitty real strong, even though she wasn't there. Bobby and Marie were sitting across from him on the other side.

"He's gonna be fine Logan," she drawled, "Hank just gave him somethin to help him sleep."

"Where's the half pint?"

"Gettin somethin ta eat. She hates when you call her that," she sassed with a grin.

"Good." He'd never admit to it, but he enjoyed teasing Kitty. "How about Jubes?" She'd been here until recently, he could tell.

Marie frowned. "Helpin Dr. McCoy with stuff."

McCoy. Janet had said to talk to him, and he knew the other man was expecting it. Right now, the only the person he really needed to talk to was Xavier. From what his nose told him, the old man hadn't been here for at least a day. Neither had Ororo, or Summers. He didn't get it. With Pete hurt like that, one of those three would be camped out down here, and they'd all be coming in to see Pete every chance they could. With a frustrated growl, he turned away from the sleeping Russian, striding toward McCoy's office.

"Where's Xavier?"

Hank McCoy looked up from his monitor with something that was not quite a grin plastered across his face. Hard to tell with the fangs. "Why don't you sit down Logan. You look nearly as tired as I feel. Have some coffee. It's a special blend, with real Hawaiian Kona."

"Coffee ain't gonna do me any good Blue."

"There is whiskey in it."

"Damn waste of whiskey," he groused, before slouching into a chair on the other side of Hank's desk. As soon as Hank put the cup in front of him he hoisted to his lips, slamming down the brew in one gulp.

"Logan, you re supposed to sip this, not guzzle it like…"

"More."

"Very well," Hank sighed, reaching for the carafe.

"Just give me the booze McCoy."

Shaking his head, Hank opened a drawer, pulling out a bottle of Jim Beam and several packages of Twinkies. Logan grabbed the bottle, greedily swigging a third of it down in four huge gulps, savoring the fiery liquid as it burned its way to his belly. Dragging the back of his hand across his mouth, he set the bottle down, only to find Hank staring at him, yellow sponge cake hanging out of his mouth.

"What?"

"You will find," Hank answered in a muffled voice, "that your tolerance for alcoholic beverages is somewhat diminished. I would advise you to use some discretion for the next day or so when consuming them."

"The hell you say…," was all he got out before he felt something twist in his gut as the room seem to tilt slightly. It didn't last long, only a few seconds, but it was shocking as hell. Normally, he'd have to consume three or four bottles, one right after the other, to feel anything at all beyond a slight giddiness.

"Your healing factor has been working very hard my friend. The cluster of biological processes that make it up are not operating at any where near normal efficacy."

"I know that damn it! Janet already told me how long I was out. So why don't you tell me why."

Reaching behind him, Hank grabbed a small plastic tray and placed it on the desk between them. It contained a small piece of jagged metal, no bigger then Logan's thumb.

"You gotta be kiddin me. You ain't tellin me that little hunk o' metal is what put me down?!"

"For the most part, yes." Hank stood up, twisting his upper body enough that he was facing away from Logan, who was looking at McCoy ribs with a clearly confused expression on his face. "I am assuming that you only had enough time to turn you face and upper body away from the grenade before it exploded. Like so."

His first thought was to wonder how Hank knew. Oh yeah. He'd heard the explosion. Plus his torn and scorched clothing. That would have been a big clue. "That's pretty much how it was. He had it in his hand, pin already pulled. Only thing I could do."

"Just so. I extracted this piece of shrapnel from your lower ribcage. It clearly came straight up, entering your body here," pointing to a spot just below his own ribs, "lodging between the seventh and eighth rib. In addition to the tissue and muscle damage, a renal artery was severed, resulting in considerable blood loss. Of course within seconds your wounds began to heal."

"Don't sound like enough to put me down McCoy."

"Indeed you are correct," Hank answered in an excited voice. "Your mutation is a marvel of natural engineering. Among it's many wondrous abilities, is an uncanny talent to prioritize damage, always repairing the most serious wound…"

"Damn it Hank, would you just tell me what happened."

"I was getting to that," he snapped, rubbing a large paw over his face. "Certainly your mutation repaired the arterial wound very quickly, which should have kept blood loss to an acceptable level. At least for you. Yet, when I first examined you, all the classic signs of massive internal bleeding were present."

"So I lost some blood," Logan said slowly, leaning forward in the chair, rubbing the back of his neck. The adrenaline rush he'd gotten from the dream was long gone. He felt like he'd just finished a solid week of cage fighting. McCoy didn't look much better. His normally glossy fur looked dull and matted. They were both pretty close to being dead men sitting.

"Logan, your gift for understatement is remarkable. When we returned to the school and I was at last able to perform a more though assessment of your condition, I found that you had only some thirty percent of blood volume remaining."

"Shit. Though you said that I woulda healed right up. So why didn't I?"

"While I cannot be sure, I believe that the piece of metal lodged between your ribs must have further damaged the artery at some point during your battle with Hydra."

"Could be Blue," Logan muttered as he the snatched the other package of Twinkies for himself. Suddenly he was ravenous. Thinking back to the fight, he remembered the pain in his left side. Toward the end he'd felt weak and light headed. That's why he'd hesitated when he saw that fucker pointing a gun at Rasputin's head. He'd figured after they'd shot him a couple of times they'd have to get close enough to make sure he was dead. The problem was, by the time they'd finished emptying their guns into him, he nearly was. When he relayed this information to McCoy, he nodded vigorously.

"The massive blood loss must have slowed the healing properties of your mutation, along with your combat skills. With no ready source of fluids to replace what was lost along with the damage of numerous bullet wounds, your healing factor was overwhelmed."

"One thing I don't get," Logan grunted around the Twinkie he'd just popped into his mouth. "Why was I out twelve fuckin hours?"

"I am sorry to inform you that there are limits to even your mutation," Hank answered briskly. "You cannot expect to simply walk away from the amount of damage you received. You are not some ridiculous comic book hero who can be shot numerous times, and lose nearly three-quarters of your entire volume of blood without suffering dire consequences."

"Ok McCoy, I get the message," the other man answered in a deceptively calm voice. "But I know you Blue. The first thing you did when you got me back here was ta start pumpin saline inta me. Now that's a couple of hours gettin my ass back here plus maybe two ta get that stuff in me. I shouda been awake before you finished the second bag."

Hank took a folder from the large pile on the right side of his desk. "There were certain…irregularities concerning your condition that I cannot yet explain. Your ambient body temperature had fallen below sixty degrees by the time we had returned here. Heart rate was less then six beats per minute. All bodily functions had slowed dramatically. Quite frankly, I am not yet confident that I can explain what caused this."

"You ain't sure why, but ya got an idea."

Hank nodded reluctantly. "I have my suspicions, but I need more data to be sure."

"Fair enough. We don't have ta talk about it right now. Let's talk about Chuck. As in where the hell is he?"

With a sigh, Hank grabbed his coffee mug and poured himself half a cup of Kona. Then he added enough whiskey to fill the mug. "The Professor would rather his present location not be known."

"You mean by me."

"Precisely. He was concerned that you might do something…impulsive."

"So I'm guessin that Ro and Cyke are with him."

"Logan…"

"Don't try and bullshit me McCoy. I know they ain't here. They woulda come around ta make sure Pete was ok."

Hank guzzled half of his coffee and set the mug down. "They are currently at a SHIELD safe house in Manhattan. One equipped with medical facilities."

Damn. He didn't think it could have been Ororo, because Hank would never have left her if she'd been hurt. "Summers?"

"He was injured, but not seriously. It was Ellie."

The rage he felt surprised him. He'd heard her voice cry out in pain, but seeing Pete with a gun pointed him had pushed any thoughts of her out of his head. "How did it happen?"

"Logan, I really don't think that now is the time…"

"Don't care what you think McCoy. Just tell me."

After Hank was finished telling him, he couldn't believe how lucky they'd been. The fact that somehow the Hydra agents who ran into Pete knew he was a mutant. That was the only reason the bullet McCoy had picked out of his shoulder wasn't in his head. Then there was Sally Blevins. Just a scared kid trying to stay away from some sick assholes who wanted her for fuck all knows what. How likely was it that she'd have the one mutant power that ended up saving them from the warehouse explosion? Some kind of mental force field. Of course luck was a relative thing. Three of Ellie's friends had been found shot to death, their bodies thrown into a drainage ditch. Ellie was alive, but from what McCoy had said likely to be blind in one eye. What a screwed up mess. Three dead, one maimed, another kid in some kind of mental trance.

Then there was Summers. The uncontrolled optic blast he'd seen lighting up the sky like a beacon from hell had clipped one of the SHIELD helicopters, killing it's pilot. At least the was the story SHIELD had handed them when they took Cyclops into custody. What ever kind of game SHIELD was playing with them, they had the deck stacked now. Fury would put a lot of pressure on Xavier and Logan had to wonder how far the old man would go to get Summers back. The thing was, Logan was pretty sure that Fury wouldn't ask for too much, at least to start with. The bastard was too smart for that. He'd settle for getting the old man on the hook and worry about reeling him in later. Besides, it was more fun to play with the fish first.

The whole thing pissed him off to no end. He'd had the bright idea of calling in the X-Men. It was a stupid mistake. The only way to deal with a bunch of killers was to kill them. Xavier's mutant rescue squad just wasn't ready for that. Which Fury was going to find out pretty damn fast if he sent them up against people like Hydra. What the fucker really needed was him. The only question left was, what would he do about that.

"So I'm wonderin Hank what the hell you were thinkin lettin SHIELD just take yer friend?" Ok…so he was an asshole. Right at the moment, he was too irate to care.

What would you have suggested Logan," Hank growled, the fur on the back of his neck bristling. "Ellie needed medical attention that I could not give her."

"Bullshit McCoy. I'm talkin about Summers? You don't leave someone in enemy hands."

"SHIELD is not our enemy. They have given us vital information on several occasions. While I do not fully trust them, the Professor believes that they can be useful."

"Useful. That's good Hank. I gotta be wonderin how useful they think you'll be ta them."

"I am sorry, but I am not…what are you saying Logan?"

"I thought you were a smart guy McCoy. So think about this. Think about what Chuck is gonna have ta do ta get Summers away from them."

"Logan, it was a mistake. An accident. Once the Professor explains that to them…"

"They don't give a shit about if he did it on purpose or not. Fury knows damn well that Cyke would just soon cut off his right hand as kill someone. That ain't the point. He's got Summers and Chuck is gonna have ta pay through the nose ta get him back."

"Dear God," Hank groaned, and all the anger he'd displayed just a few moments ago seemed to drain out of him. "What would Colonel Fury want from us?"

"You gotta be kiddin me. Think about how **useful **a kid like Pryde would be ta SHIELD. No security system would stand a chance against someone who can walk through walls like they ain't there."

"You make them sound no better then Hydra. If Fury is capable of such things, why would Charles have anything to do with him?"

"You know the old sayin. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Fury ain't a mutant hater. Don't really think he cares, one way or another. He just don't want ta see mutants joinin up with Magneto or even Hydra cause it's the best deal they can make."

"It doesn't make sense," Hank finally replied after a long silence. That was usually one of the things Logan liked about him. Hank wasn't one for knee-jerk reactions. "I know that the Professor has offered our help to Colonel Fury on a number of occasions. Why would he feel it necessary to employ crude black mail to obtain what we are willing to give?"

"Cause maybe there's things he'd like ya ta do that ya won't, but he still needs em done anyway. This way ya can't say no."

Hank just shook his head, but it didn't matter. Logan wasn't talking about the others anyway. Fury might be a ruthless prick, but he wasn't stupid. He'd use this to get things out of Chuck, no doubt about that. However, it would take time and patience before the other X-Men would be very useful. Xavier had drummed too much morality into them. Of course, there was always the younger ones, Marie, Jubilee, and Pete. Logan shuddered unconsciously at that thought. Better that Fury didn't have to look too hard in that direction. God, he was tired. As the memory of what he had seen earlier played again in his head, he wondered if he would have to see people he cared about die in another war he wanted no part of. With no little effort he levered himself out of the chair and started shuffling toward the door. Hank help up his hand, a signal to wait.

"What would you have me do?"

"What ever ya want. I ain't askin ya ta stop trustin Xavier. Just don't forget what I told ya."

"I will not. And while I do trust Charles, I trust you as well. Get some sleep Logan. With any luck, the professor will back within a few hours."

Luck. He wanted to laugh. He dragged himself out the door, head bowed and abruptly ran into Janet. As she tottered back, his hands shot out grabbing her wrists, until she managed to steady herself.

"Sorry darlin, didn't see ya comin."

"It's ok Logan I'm fine," she assured him with a smile. He let her go, but before he could do much more then take a step, she slid over into his path, that smile quickly changing to a frown. "Logan…are you alright?"

"Just need ta get a little sleep kid."

She just stood there, looking at him for so long that he knew he was busted. So he was a little surprised that instead of calling him on it she flashed him a sly grin and stood aside. "Right. Sleep sounds like just what the doctor ordered. But when you get up, we need to talk."

Inwardly he cringed. Considering their last conversation, he wasn't sure how that would go. He didn't smell any fear on her, so maybe she'd come to some kind of understanding about what she had seen when he'd fought Sabertooth. That was something he wanted to know, but whatever she said he really wanted to be able to remember it. Which wasn't probably going to happen if they talked now. With a nod and a grunt that he hoped sounded enthusiastic, he walked over to look at Pete. The peaceful expression he wore brought back the memory of the twisted mask of rage he'd seen plastered across the same face. Logan knew the kind of emotions that drove a man to kill, not just because he had to, but because he wanted to. He just never figured a guy like Pete would have them. Now he had to question the real motives behind the kid's fear of losing control. They were going to have a little talk. Soon. But first things first. He was starving, and he needed to sleep. Kitchen first, then he'd crawl into bed.

Janet watched Logan slowly trudge out of the med lab. He was such a damned man. Never willing to let on that he was hurting. After all he was the Wolverine, so he couldn't feel tired or react to pain, whether is was physical or emotional. When he'd lied to her face after she'd asked him if he was alright, she had so wanted to call him on it, but she didn't feel she had the right. Not until they could get past her shameful display of fear after she's seen him fighting Sabertooth. That didn't make her any less worried about his present condition. If she couldn't get a straight answer from Logan, Hank would have to do. After checking Pete again, she hurried over to his office and almost slammed into the door when it didn't automatically slide open. Startled, she hit the buzzer.

"Yes?"

"I need to ask you about something." A few moments later the door slid open and she walked in. Hank was staring at something on his monitor. He was so tired that his ears were actually drooping. "Hank, you really need to get some rest."

"I don't have time for that right now," he muttered, eyes still fixed on the computer screen. After a few seconds he turned his gaze on her and tried to smile, but she thought it looked more like a painful grimace. "What can I do for you Janet?"

"Men," she sighed, and this time he did smile sheepishly, so she decided to let it go. "I'm worried about Logan. I just saw him and while he won't admit to anything, he looked terrible."

"Yes he did. Perhaps I should have cut short our conversation and ordered him to bed earlier."

She almost laughed at that. Logan didn't take orders well. "He's going to be ok, isn't he?"

Hank nodded, his eyes drifting back to stare at the monitor again. "Do not worry Janet. His healing factor has done the hard work of restoring him to health. Right now he needs rest and nourishment. After he has slept for a few hours I will have some food brought to him."

She wanted to ask if he was sure, but Hank's attention was fixed on the computer screen, so she turned to go. "Please wait Janet. I have something I need to show you." As he got up to pull another chair behind his desk, she noticed that while the sling was still around his neck, his injured arm was no longer in it.

"Hank," she called out, pointing to the sling.

"Oh…well…I know I should follow the doctor's orders, even if they are my own. However, I have found typing one handed to be rather awkward."

Once they were both seated, his fingers attacked the keyboard. The screen lit up with an image of Logan on a gurney being wheeled into the med lab. He was covered with dried blood and gore, his clothing little more the ragged tatters. Numerous bullet wounds peppered his skin like bloody welts, the half open sores glistening with a deep crimson mucus that looked like a bloody paste. She cringed at the memory of how cold and clammy his skin felt when she cut the ruined shirt off him, experiencing all over again the fear she had felt at the slowness of his heart rate once Hank had turned on the electrocardiogram. The time waiting for any sign of Logan's expected recovery had seemed like nine hours in hell.

"What is this Hank?"

"It has been my standard practice to make a visual record of a patients treatment, at least the initial phase. I have found that I sometimes miss the small details that can be crucial to a complete recovery."

"God Hank," she whispered, "you can't be serious. I'm not gong to sit here and watch this all over again. "

"Not everything," he assured her, "just one small part at the end. When Logan regained consciousness."

"But I wasn't there," she protested, "we were both in the other room." Hank had asked her to assist him with changing Peter's bandage. Logan had been stable, but had given no indication that he was about to awaken. So Hank had asked Marie to watch over him for a few minutes. They'd barely finished when the nearly hysterical girl had come running out to tell them he was conscious.

"True. Another reason for my video record. I have already taken the opportunity to view it and would like your opinion as well."

Janet had to admit that she was curious. Marie's reaction to whatever had happened wasn't what she would have expected. Still, what right did she have to see something she hadn't been present for. When she voiced her concern Hank nodded vigorously.

"Ordinarily, I would agree with you. However, there are some interesting similarities with what happened earlier."

She knew exactly what he was referring to. Shortly after Logan's vitals had returned to something close to normal he had begun to react. At first it was mumbled phrases that even Hank could hardly understand. Then, he had actually started talking, almost as if he was having a conversation. Some kind of inner dialogue. It had ended abruptly with Logan wailing in despair, thrashing about on his bed and finally releasing the claws. After Hank had restrained him they had talked about it, tentatively concluding that perhaps it was more them simply a dream. She really couldn't help that she'd been a witness to the first incident, and she still felt bad about seeing something that should have been private.

"Sorry Hank," she said in a clipped voice, "I don't have the right to see this."

"Janet…Logan needs to talk to someone about this."

"Why me? Why not you, or the professor?"

"I think you would be a better choice."

"Come on Hank, you're the one who saw what happened. You had every right as his physician to look at the video. I don't."

"He trusts you. I think it would be easier for him to be open with you about what happened."

"Maybe you're right. And maybe he won't trust me any more if I watch this without his permission. I think we should let him decide. Burn a copy of it."

Perhaps she was right, he mused, after she'd gone. Logan was fiercely protective of his privacy, and considering what had happened to him in the past Hank could understand why. So maybe this was the better course. Unless Logan's own rock hard stubbornness got in the way. If the man managed to convince himself that what he had experienced was a dream, he might simply refuse to talk about it. But Hank knew better. While he had not been at all certain as to whether the first episode was nothing more then a delusion, watching the video of the second had clinched it. He was no linguist, but recognized the language imediately. Hank McCoy had no doubts that a person could gain many insights from a close examination of one's dreams. However, he was reasonably certain that learning Japanese was not one of them.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed thus far. I hope you enjoy this update. Only two more chapters to go (I think). All reviews are appreciated, as are any suggestions on how I can improve as a writer. Thanks to Dee for her help on this chapter.**


	32. Chapter 31

At first he thought it had to be a dream. It was the only damned reason he could think of for why he was smelling tomato sauce and Jubilee. He rolled over to bury his face in the pillow and it only got stronger. Shit. He hated his fucked up dreams. If it wasn't Stryker's gruesome tortures it was visions of war and death. Or a beautiful woman saying she loved him. Alright, so they weren't all bad. He pushed the pillow away and was dragging the blanket over his head when he heard it. The soft sound of snoring. Shaking his head he took a deep breath, and the smells were still there. The tangy aroma of tomatoes mixed with a hint of pepperoni. A pizza? And the spicy aroma of Jubilee's personal scent, along with the fruity shower stuff she drenched herself in. And the burning. Like ozone from an overheated electrical motor. With a muttered curse he cracked an eye open and there she was, sprawled out on the ratty old recliner over by the window.

She was wearing plaid shorts in a pattern that was hard to look at and a light blue tank. Her jet black air was fanned across the arm rest that she had laid her head on, and she just looked…relaxed…calm. Not like Jubilee at all. Usually she was all motion and mouth, like she was on some kind of permanent sugar high. The first time he'd ever really talked to the kid was when he'd stopped her from trying to run. At the time he'd told himself that it was for Marie, that she'd be crushed if he let her best friend slip away. Maybe that was the truth then, but something had changed in the last few weeks.

Now she mattered to him, and not just because of Marie. He admired her toughness and guts. She'd kicked Mystique's ass and stood her ground against Creed. He owed her big time for that. The kid could still be a pain in the ass, no doubt about it. She didn't listen in class, and was constantly bitching about the food, her studies, or even what people were watching on TV. When he'd started training her and her friends she hadn't impressed him. Sure she liked to spar, but didn't really want to work hard on the rest of the stuff, the drills and fitness exercises. All that changed after her run in with Creed. Or was it because she was trying to impress him? Shit, he didn't really want to go there. For whatever reason, right now she was working harder then her pals and she had one huge advantage. She was the only junior X-Man who liked kicking ass. When she had more experience under her belt she would be someone he wouldn't mind having at his back. But right now he needed to make sure she never did anything like this again. The last thing he wanted was to wake up from one of his nightmares with Jubes on the end his claws.

Slowly he sat up, and put his feet on the floor facing her. He started to reach over and give the girl a good shake, then stopped. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. If she reacted the same way he would, he might end up with a face full of plasma. He knew he needed a shave, but not that bad. Instead, he called out to her a low, quiet voice.

"Jubes. Come on kid, wake up."

For a moment there was no reaction. Then the snoring stopped, and she mumbled something about five more minutes. He snorted and called out again, speaking a little louder and suddenly her head jerked up from the arm of the chair, her mouth hanging open. The look on her face was so comical he wanted to laugh, until he noticed her eyes. Not the brown pair that he remembered. These were like twin sapphires, with a blue so deep that the only thing he could compare it to was a mountain lake just before sunset. He wanted to look away but he couldn't, because they were the most beautiful eyes he'd even seen. After a few seconds she shook her head and slowly blinked, before springing off the chair as a look of panic washed over her face. Snatching a plastic case from the small table by the chair, she dashed past him into his bathroom, trailing a stream of obscenities in her wake. When she emerged several minutes later he was till sitting on the bed, facing away from the bathroom and her eyes were brown again. She took one step toward the bedroom door before he turned to face her.

"What the hell are you doin here Jubes?"

She couldn't hide the look of relief that flashed across her face. "Sorry Wolvie," she muttered, glancing away from him. "I was just worried. We thought that maybe someone should keep an eye on you."

"We? What are ya talkin about?"

"You don't even remember, do ya?"

"Remember what?"

"Dude, we found you sitting at the kitchen table face down in a deep dish pizza, snoring like a chainsaw. Kit Kat wanted to call the Hankster, but I didn't think you'd be happy if we did that. So we woke your ass up and steered you back to your room."

Damn. The last thing he remembered was leaving the med lab and thinking about getting some food in his stomach before he hit the sack. At least that explained the tomato sauce. His first reaction was embarrassment that he had to be helped to his bed by a couple of teenage girls. That quickly flipped to anger when he realized what they'd done.

"Are you nuts kid," he growled, remembering what had happened the last time someone had tried to wake him. "You lookin to get a gut full of metal?" The last reaction he expected from her was a sly grin.

"Please Wolvie! You know who my room mate is, don't ya? I already know the never wake up Wolvie rule. Kitty did it. She used a broom and she was phased."

"A broom? Was that yer idea?"

"Sure was. It took forever too. You were like dead to the world. Plus Pryde didn't want to hurt ya, so she kept nudging your ribs like a girl."

He rubbed a hand across his face to hide the smile. "Ok. That still don't explain why I wake up ta find you sleepin in my room."

It wasn't fair. In fact he was playing a little dirty. He had a pretty good idea why she was here, at least right now. But he wanted to push her a little, because if she didn't tell him the reason he had no clue how to go about getting her to admit to it. Her grin quickly changed to a frown, and he could almost see the wheels turning as she calculated how much she'd have to say to get him off her back.

"I was only gonna stay a little while," she finally admitted in a quiet voice. "We were both worried. You were like a friggin zombie after ya woke up. So we followed ya back here. After Kitty took off I just sat down. I was only gonna stay for a few minutes. I guess I just…kinda fell asleep."

"Ok," he nodded, looking her in the eye, "I get that you were worried. That still don't explain the rest of it."

"The rest of what?"

"Why you've been sleeping in my bed for the last three or four nights."

That caught he off guard. Her brow crinkled in thought and then she looked up, cheeks flushed. "Oh shit! You musta…Ewww!"

"Your scent is all over the bed Jubes. Why?"

"Roguey and me had a fight. I didn't…I just figured it would be a good idea to make myself scarce for a while ya know. So I wouldn't say anything to make stuff worse. I knew she had your key so…"

He slowly shook his head. "That ain't gonna cut it kid. There's gotta be other beds you coulda used in bedrooms that ain't mine. Tell me why you decided on this one."

"You know why," she whispered sadly.

And those three words made the anger he'd been carefully tamping down surge within him. Because he'd didn't know why, couldn't imagine how a kid like her had gotten so fucked up in her head that she could think that he would be someone she could care about that way. Some of the anger must have shown on his face because Jubes took a step back, fighting the tears he could suddenly smell on her.

"Forget it Logan," she said in a shaky voice. "Maybe Roguey was right."

And he felt bad, because he wasn't angry at her really, just at the world that had screwed her up so bad that she thought he was her chance at happiness. So he fumbled to find some words that he could say, words that would tell her that she meant to him, even though he still didn't know why.

"Look Jubes…I…"

And she cut him off in a firm voice as her expression became a mask. "Don't Logan…just …don't. You don't need to say anything dude. I know this is fucked up."

Maybe it was the dull, flat tone of her voice, or the defeated slump of her shoulders as she turned to go that made him say it. Whatever it was, he knew that pissed off always worked the best for him.

"Why Jubes? Why do ya hide em?"

She stopped, her back to him, both hands suddenly curling into fists. When she spoke her voice wasn't flat, but filled with venom.

"Fuck you old man. You don't want me. Ok, I get it. So just keep your nose out of my fucking business."

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her and a few moments later her heard a short, sharp explosion. Grimacing, he trudged to the bathroom, stripping off the sweat suit McCoy had given him last night. Glancing in the mirror, he shook his head. Flakes of dried pizza sauce were stuck in his hair, looking like flecks of blood from the men he'd killed a little over a day ago. He turned the shower on, as hot as he could stand, and started to wash them out, as his thoughts strayed to what had just happened. Especially the why.

He could understand why she'd wear contacts in public. Even if the kid had not been Asian, those eyes of hers screamed mutant. So why hide it at the mansion? Why hide the color of your eyes when the kids here didn't give green skin or a tail a second thought? Damn, he wished he could have see her face when she was cussing him out. There was something beneath the angry tone in her voice that he couldn't quite place. Disgust maybe? Switching off the shower, he grabbed a towel and started drying himself.

So the kid had secrets. He figured that was true of pretty much everyone here, him included. He knew that Xavier encouraged the students to talk about their shit, but he didn't see how that would help. No matter how you cut it, the bad shit happened to you. No one else could know what it was like. If Jubilee wanted to keep it to herself, it wasn't any of his business. He wouldn't press her on it. If she wanted to tell him, it would be her decision.

Shaking the water out of his hair, he pulled on some running shorts and a tank. McCoy had told him he wouldn't be one hundred percent for a while, but he figured a good run would be the easiest way to test his healing factor. The soft knock at his door surprised him. A brief sniff told him that it was Marie along with the aroma of breakfast that caused his stomach to growl. Damn, he was hungry. He quickly opened the door to a smiling Marie, who was holding a huge tray laden with covered dishes.

"Hey sugar," she teased, "how am Ah gonna serve you breakfast in bed if you're already up?"

"Sorry darlin, but I'll eat it better sittin down any way." At her questioning glance he pointed at his desk. "Put it there Marie."

She placed the tray where he asked and proceed to uncover the dishes. It took a real effort not to drool on his feet. Biscuits, along with chicken fried steak smothered in gravy. Then there were grits, okra, and hush puppies, with a dozen strips of bacon on the side. And of course a pot of steaming coffee. Sitting down he took a deep breath, savoring the smell of Southern home cooking. Rogue, perched on the end of his bed, giggled.

"Don't just sit there and smell it Logan. Eat up. Doctor's orders."

"So, Hank sent ya?"

"Not exactly. He asked me ta bring ya some toast and oatmeal. Ah told him Ah could do better then that."

"Damn right. This is some real good cookin Marie. Best damn food I'm had in a long time."

"Thank ya kindly sir. Now shut up and eat."

For the next few minutes he dug in while she watched him. When he finished his first cup of coffee, she refilled his mug and poured one for herself. It was the best meal he'd had in a while, and he wondered why he hadn't seen her cooking before. Probably too busy between school and training to spend much time making food for people. Then again, maybe it brought memories she'd rather not think about. Logan wondered what kind useless shits her parents could be to just toss her out. Marie never talked about it to him, but from what he heard her say to Drake once it was pretty clear that she was still hurting. Even if she seemed happy enough, he'd just been reminded in a big way how much appearances could deceive. Like right now.

He glanced at Marie and didn't like what he saw. She had set her mug down and was fiddling with her gloves, picking at the fingers and the yanking them tight again. She was upset about something, and he'd been too busy shoveling down the food she'd brought him to notice. Now that he was looking for it, instead of the feast she had provided, he could see the dark patches under her eyes. Something was keeping her up at night, and he had a pretty good idea what it was. She'd told him once that she couldn't help but worry about him, and he'd given her plenty of stuff to get worked up about the last few days.

"So kid," he grunted, around a mouth full of hush puppies, "you want ta tell me what's buggin ya?"

"Nuthin Logan," she mumbled looking away.

Putting his fork down, he cleared his throat. When he had her attention he tapped his nose. "Ain't gonna cut it darlin."

She shook her head, rolling her eyes and muttered something about his stinking sense of smell. "What are you gonna do about Scott," she finally asked, still not looking him in the eye.

Scott? He wasn't expecting her to ask him about Summers. Not that he minded avoiding questions about the last few days, but Summers? He didn't have a clue what do to about him. Even if he could find out where SHIELD was holding him, he didn't have many options. The way he figured it, Xavier was the best bet for now. Whatever deal Chuck made, Fury would still have to talk to him.

"Ain't a hell of a lot I can do kid. Chuck is callin the shots on this one."

"And you're ok with that? Why?"

"Cause they got us over a fuckin barrel. Cause even if Summers didn't to a blasted thing, it's their word against ours. Hell Marie, I don't even know where they got him stashed."

"Ah can tell ya that."

"How?"

"Kitty. She told me that the Professor's cell phone has built in GPS. She could hack into the school's network server and get his location." She waited a few seconds for him to respond. When he didn't she went on. "Ah don't believe this. Not knowing where he is, that's just an excuse, ain't it? You and the others, ya just put your lives on the line to help some kids you didn't even know and now you won't lift a finger to save one of our own."

"It ain't that easy Marie," he growled in frustration.

"Why not Logan? Ah know you don't like Scott…"

"That's got nuthin ta do with it," he barked. "Doin what you want won't be helpin him at all." She turned to look at him and he could see the confusion on her face. Along with the tears she was trying to fight. Over Summers? What the hell was going on? He really didn't like what he was thinking at the moment.

"What are you saying?"

He took a few steps until he was right in front of her, arms crossed over his chest. "You know how many Hydra fucks I had to kill the other night Marie?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "No…I don't."

"I think it was twenty. Kinda lost count there near the end. So what the hell you think I'm gonna have ta do if we go and bust Summers out?"

Shoulders slumped in defeat, she sat down on his bead. "Oh God. I didn't…"

"Think? They ain't gonna just hand him over Marie. If we break Summers out it means war. SHIELD will come after our asses with everything they got. Hell, even if I did spring him, we'd never be able ta come back here. Is that what you really want?"

"No," she whispered and he felt bad for yelling at her.

"That's why we gotta try Chuck's way first."

She nodded, dashing a sleeve across her face. Then she stood up and walked over to his window. After a few seconds he came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We ain't gonna give up on him kid."

"Ah know," she answered quietly staring out at the athletic field that she could see below. "Ah'm sorry for what Ah said…about you not likin Scott."

"Don't apologize kid. He's a pain in the ass."

"LOGAN!"

"Relax Marie. I want him around as much a you do. If Scooter wasn't here, I'd have ta find someone else to fuck with."

She turned to face him, but now she was fighting a smile. "You know Logan, sometimes you can be a real asshole."

He grinned, but before he could answer she stepped forward to give him a hug and a quick kiss on his cheek where it was protected by his bushy sideburns. The smart remark he'd about to make was forgotten and when she stepped past him, picked up the dirty dishes, and walked out, she was giggling. He watched her go shaking his head, trying to remember if anyone had ever done that to him before.

A few minutes later he was standing on the patio ready to start his run. Drake and Jubilee were over at the track running sprints. He watched them dash around the quarter mile oval, impressed at their speed. The first time they ran it, Bobby beat Jubilee by a good five seconds, which wasn't a big surprise. She couldn't overcome the advantage of his longer legs. She got closer with the next sprint, and when she goaded him into running a third, he barely edged her at the end. As they slowed to a stop after the finish, Jubilee bent over and puked on the grass by the edge of the track. When she straightened up she turned until she was staring at him. For a few seconds they faced each other across the green grass of Xavier's immaculate lawn. The she turned away and said something to Drake that he couldn't quite hear. He just laughed and shook his head. Then she was off again, tearing around the asphalt track as fast as she could go.

He watched her run for a few seconds then started off on his own circuit at an easy pace. Maybe it was a good thing if Jubes was pissed at him for a while. She'd give him some space while he tried to figure what the hell to do about her. Growling in irritation, he picked up speed, pushing himself to test his body for weakness. Typically, he could run flat out for close to an hour before feeling fatigue. When he wasn't going all out, he really wasn't sure what his limits were. Once he'd done fifty miles in a little over six hours to make to a cage match after his truck had broken down.

Legs pumping, he loped along the hard, packed earth of the running path that meandered through the thick woods enveloping the school. Everything felt normal at first, and he completed his first circuit of the four mile course in less then twenty minutes. It was about a mile into his second go around when he started to feel it. The first sign was a tightness in his chest, like something was pressing on it. He was breathing harder and harder, but still couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs. A sharp pain stabbed through his right side as the sweat poured off his face. He pushed on, fighting to keep up the pace, a little worried, but also exhilarated to feel the effect it had on him. Near the finish of his third time around his chest felt like it was on fire and he began to stumble on rubbery legs as he broke out of the trees. Veering off the path, he plowed up the grassy hill toward the enormous deck that stretched around the back of the school. He was so focused on keeping his legs under him that he almost slammed into the brick barbeque just off one corner of the deck. Slipping around it at the last moment, he staggered to a stop and bent over, hands on knees, chest heaving, fighting the urge to vomit.

It took less than a minute for him to catch his breath, but that didn't mean he felt a hell of a lot better. His throat was parched and he was a little light headed, so he shuffled across the deck and through the French doors, on the prowl for something to drink. He must have been more out of it then he realized, because he didn't catch her scent until he was about to step into the kitchen. For a moment he thought about going back the way he came, but he was too damned thirsty and besides, he really did want to see her. So he stepped quietly into the kitchen, admiring the shapely backside encased in tight spandex running shorts sticking out of the refrigerator. He stared for a moment, suppressing a sudden urge to reach out and give it a whack. Instead, he brushed against one of the chairs set around the large wooden table so she knew that he was there. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when Janet straightened up and turned to face him, but then she smiled at him and he decided the scenery is even better now.

"Logan…what are you doing?"

"Just enjoyin the view," he answered with a wolfish grin. He almost laughed at the indignant look he got, but with the sudden pain that shot through his cramping leg as he took a step toward her, it was all he could do to grab the back of the nearest chair to keep from falling face first against the kitchen table.

"Please tell me you didn't…did you listen to anything that Hank told you?"

He didn't bother to answer. What would be the point. Instead he slid the chair around and sat in it. Janet was filling a glass with water at the sink and when she handed to him he mumbled his thanks before slamming it down greedily. By the time he was done she'd stuck her head into the refrigerator again and he was happy enough to take in the view, until she shoved some plastic bottle full of colored goop under his nose and ordered him to drink it. Eyeing the bright blue fluid suspiciously, he looked at the label. Vitamin Water? What the hell was that? Twisting off the cap, he took a sniff, grimacing at the syrupy sweet smell.

"I ain't drinkin this crap," he groused, irked by the sound of his own voice, which to his disgust reminded him of Summers when he was whining about something.

And she just snickered at him, shaking her head like he was one of Xavier's brats, running down the hallways too fast. "Please, just try it. You need the electrolytes."

The whole situation was so damned irritating. He'd never needed electrolytes that he could remember, and he was more than a little pissed that he had to swig this shit to get them now. He told himself he was being stupid, so he quickly quaffed the vile concoction and damned if it doesn't taste as bad as it smelled.

She flashed him a smile and tossed him another drink, this time in a can. Jolt? Ok, so he could use one right about now. It didn't go down any easier, but by the time he was finished he felt a little better. Then he just sat there watching as she made herself some toast, thinking that everything this woman does, she does with grace. It's one of the things he appreciated about her. Along with her compassion, her spirit, and sense of humor. Sure, she was good looking, with curves in all the right places, but sleek; not blown up like a doll. But it was the inner beauty that he saw shining through that first time in Xavier's office that really got his attention.

"Do you want some?" She asked, after she'd buttered the toast, but he just shook his head, even though he was feeling a little hungry again. Something about the idea of her making him food was unsettling. So he just sat and watched while she ate, taking small, delicate bites. She finished quickly and took he plate to the dishwasher. Then it was her turn to scrutinize him. Apparently she didn't like what she saw.

"You look terrible. Maybe we should go see Hank."

"It's gonna be fine darlin. Just pushed myself a little too hard. Yer right. I shoulda listen to the fur ball."

"Are you busy right now?"

Hell yes he wanted to say, because she suddenly looked nervous and he had a feeling that whatever she wanted, he wasn't going to like it. But her face was set and he really didn't like the idea of lying to her, so he just shook his head.

"Good. There's something I want to show you."

"Just what are we talkin about?"

"It's about what happened to you down in the med lab."

"That ain't no mystery kid. McCoy strapped me to a bed and pumped some fluids in ta me and then stood around watchin till I got better."

"You might think it's a joke," she hissed, after stepping so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath, "but we weren't laughing mister."

"Sorry darlin. I didn't exactly plan on any of this happening. And it ain't like ya needed ta be worried. I heal."

"Well you didn't, not for a while. It was too long as far as I was concerned."

"Don't know what ya want from me kid."

"I want you to understand that it hurts us…that it hurts me to see you in pain," she pleaded, looking away. "It was horrible standing around, waiting to see when you would begin to get better, not knowing why you weren't. None of us thinks it should be business as usual to see you suffering."

He could tell that she was serious, and that confused him more then almost anything else. Stryker had laughed at his pain, enjoying the tortures that he'd inflicted. When he fought in the cage, people cheered when he bled, howling for more. No matter what happened to him, he always came back So he really didn't understand what the fuss was about. But he could tell it was important to her, so he gave her the answer that she wanted.

"Ok darlin, I get it. Now what do ya want ta show me?"

"Like I said, it's about something that happened to you in the med lab…while you were recovering."

"So what is it? Come on kid, spill."

"Logan…when you were…after you passed out. Do you remember anything?"

"What could I remember? Like you said, I was out."

"Did…did you have any dreams?"

"How the fuck…did Xavier tell you that?!"

"No. Charles doesn't know anything about this. He left right after they brought you back. I told you…"

"Bullshit," he snarled, "the only way you could know what happened was for Chuck ta tell ya."

"The Professor didn't tell us anything. You did."

"What the hell are you talkin about?"

"You…said things…while you were unconscious," she spoke in a rush, trying to get it out before he could cut her off. "At first we couldn't…they didn't make sense. After a while, you started talking, like you were speaking to someone, trying to warn them."

He took a deep breath, stifling his anger. "And you were there, you and McCoy? You heard me sayin this stuff."

"Yes, we were both there, the first time it happened."

"The first time?"

"There were…it happened twice. The second time Hank and I were working on Peter, so only Marie was with you."

"Still don't see what the big deal is. So I said some shit while I was outta my head. Don't mean it was anything but another bad dream."

"Maybe it was. But you told me you used to think the dreams you had about Stryker weren't real either. What you experienced might be a delusion, but it could also be real memories."

"I don't see how. Jesus darlin, it's been almost twenty years. Why would I start rememberin stuff now?"

"I don't know Logan. We don't really know why you can't remember your life before you were altered, so understanding why you would suddenly recall events from your past after so long would be guess work."

"Now ya sound like McCoy," he grumbled, rubbing a hand across his face.

"Hank thinks this is important Logan. He said that the second episode you had was especially significant."

"You told me he wasn't there."

"That's right. But Hank makes a video record of everything that happens when he's treating a patient. After he saw it, he asked me to give you a copy. He thinks you should take a look at it."

He didn't get it. What could a video of him lying in a bed and talking to himself prove? Why did McCoy think it was such a big deal?

"Still don't see the point kid. Why does Hank think seein this is gonna help?"

"I have no idea Logan, he didn't tell me."

"You ain't seen it?"

"No. Hank had every right to look at that video, he's your doctor. I'm not."

He turned away from her and looked out the window, watching some of the younger kids playing soccer on the lush green lawn, trying to work out in his head what he wanted to do. Who was he? For most of the last twenty years he'd been obsessed with finding answers to that question. Now they might be staring him in the face, and he didn't know what to do with it. When Fury had told him he'd been a soldier in the second world war he had freaked. It was bad enough that he didn't remember any of it. But what really bothered him was the age thing. How old was he? How much of a life had Stryker taken from him? And if what he dreamed the other night was true? He really didn't want to go there. But he wouldn't be able to sleep at night until he did. He turned away from the window. She was leaning against the kitchen counter waiting. It was one of the things he appreciated about her. She knew when to push, and when to give him his space.

"Ok darlin, let's see what ya got."

"It's in my office. And you don't have to show it to me if you don't want to. I'll just set it up on the computer for you."

"I want ya to see it. And we ain't goin to your office. We're gonna go find McCoy. I want ya both in on this."

They made the brief trip to the med lab in silence. He was too keyed up to talk, his mind wandering back to the images of last night. A horrific killing ground, stripped of all vegetation, burned and blasted to a muddy, blood stained ruin. A location saturated with the miasma of the grave. Not just the putrid stench of rotting flesh. Death itself had an odor, a unique scent that emanated from the dying body at the moment it became a corpse. A faint, teasing smell that you could easily miss if you weren't expecting it. In that place it was like a fog, sometimes light, sometimes so dense you could almost taste in your food. In the midst of that horror he had friends, men who he could trust, the first real human connections he'd made in a damned long time. Destroyed because they were trying to help him.

A cozy bedroom, Spartan in it's simplicity, with a small bed and a wooden chest of drawers. Painted squares of silk adorn the walls, and a gnarled old bonsai cedar tree spread perfumed fragrance into the air. A woman of exquisite beauty, someone he loved fiercely and who loved him as well, with a passion that dumbfounded him. Someone who believed in him, who told him he was a man of honor. Her scent called to him, calming his savage nature. How could he have dreamed all this? And how could he live with it if it was true? He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't realize he was at the medlab until he followed Janet through the open door. The next thing he knew someone shrieked and when he looked up, Kitty was coming at him in a mad dash. Without thinking he opened his arms and she jumped, clutching at his neck, laughing and crying and babbling stuff he sure as hell couldn't understand.

"Hey kid, slow down. Ya ain't makin any sense."

"OhmygodthankyousomuchforwhatyoudidforPete!!!"

"Calm down half pint. Don't know what the hell yer thankin me for."

"Peter told me everything Logan. So don't try and make like it was nothing."

Stifling a growl, he gently pulled her arms from around his neck, shooting Peter an irritated look. The big Russian was sitting up in bed, trying has hard as he could not to laugh. His complexion looked better then last night and the bandages that were wrapped around his left shoulder looked smaller. There was a chess board set up by the side of his bed. Logan glanced at it. Someone was getting their ass kicked. He walked over to Pete and took a discreet sniff. Mainly the scents of Kitty and Pete, mixed with all the others who had been down to see him. But one stood out to him, one he didn't expect to smell. Allerdyce. He'd have to ask Hank about that later.

"So he told ya all about what happened, huh."

"That's right," Kitty answered, grabbing his hand with both of hers and squeezing it. "I'm sorry you were hurt so bad saving Peter. Are you sure you're ok? When Jubes and I found you last night, you didn't look so good."

"Don't be kid. Just glad I got there in time."

"As am I my friend," Pete said in a quite tone.

"How long is Blue gonna keep ya here Pete?"

"I am hoping he will be releasing me this afternoon. I am being a good patient so this will happen."

"Good," Logan answered, "cause I need ta talk ta ya about some of the stuff that happened. I'm kinda fuzzy about some of it, and being that you were there I thought that you could help me out."

Peter's smile morphed into a frown. "Of course. I will answer what ever questions you will wish to ask."

"So where's Pyro?"

"How did you…of course. John is with Doctor McCoy, in his office."

'Thanks Pete." He looked at Janet and she nodded. They walk over to Hanks liar, but there was a "Do Not Disturb" sign taped to the door. Before Janet could stop him Logan hit the buzzer.

"Need ta talk to ya Blue."

"I know you can read Logan," Hank's voice answered from a speaker by the door.

"This can't wait McCoy."

"It will have to. I will be finished in a few minutes."

"That's fine Hank," Janet spoke up before he could object.

"It ain't fine damn it."

"Will you calm down. He said a few minutes, not a few hours. What was Kitty talking about?"

She didn't miss a thing. "About last night?" She nodded, waiting for him to go on. "Well I was hungry as hell, so I thought I'd get some grub before I turned in. Musta been more beat then I though, cause Kitty and Jubes found me in the kitchen conked out using a pizza for a pillow." She couldn't help but laugh. "It ain't funny. Damn embarrassing that two teenagers had ta lead me back ta my room and get me inta bed."

"I'm surprised that Jubilee don't try and join you," she answered, with a chuckle. Then she caught the sheepish expression on his face. "No! She didn't?"

"Not exactly."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"The kid spent the night in my room sleepin in a chair. So she could keep an eye on me."

"Ok…I guess bringing out her maternal instincts is an improvement."

"It ain't no joke Phillips. I coulda had a nightmare. That's how I almost killed Marie!"

"What! What are you talking about Logan?!"

Before he could answer the door to Hank's office slid open. John Allerdyce stepped out and froze in his tracks. Right by the door was the last person he wanted to see. Logan. Even though he'd heard him buzz Hank on the intercom, he'd hoped the asshole had gone away for a while rather then hang around waiting. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he tried to scoot around him, but Logan slid over, blocking his way. Then he smiled, and John was sure it was one of the scarcest things he'd ever seen.

"You still hangin around here kid? Thought you'd be slinkin away back ta Mags by now."

"Logan," Hank called out from his office, "would you kindly refrain from harassing my patient."

"Sure thing Doc." He gave Pyro a long look, taking in the bandaged arm still in a sling and his swollen, discolored nose. "Glad ta see yer feeling better kid." Then he stepped back, opening a way of escape

"Fuck you asshole," Pyro spat out as he scurried past.

"What was that?" Janet demanded, once they were inside the office.

"Just letting him know I ain't about ta fall for his bullshit."

"You were bullying him Logan," Hank pointed out, rising from the chair behind his desk. "That's not the way to get him to trust us again."

"Sorry McCoy, but I think ya got things ass backward. Ain't he the one that's gotta prove ta us we can trust him?"

"Tell me Logan, precisely what did Marie do to prove herself to you?"

"That's different fur ball and you know it."

"Perhaps so. However, I would hazard a guess that you had been presented with other opportunities to help young people in need, ones which you had no difficulty in refusing. Why did you trust Marie enough to let her into you life?"

"Don't really know. Call it a gut feeling. I knew I could trust her."

"So then you will not object if a follow my own entrails and give Mr. Allerdyce a chance."

"Knock yourself out Doc. But I ain't about ta forget who he was runnin with. You got any more o' that coffee?"

Hank shook his head and pointed to the carafe on his desk. "Help yourself."

"What about the whiskey?"

"Too early in the morning, my friend."

"Not for me it ain't. Got a feelin I'm gonna need it before we're done here."

"I happen to know that you have an enormous cache of alcoholic beverages in your room, so why are you here?"

"Janet told me you had somethin I should see. Least ways that's what you told her."

Hank turned to Janet with a confused look on his face. "Coming here was his idea Hank. I told him he could use my laptop so he could watch it alone, but he wanted to come down here and see it."

"You don't mind, do ya Hank?"

"Of course not. I merely thought doing this with someone you trust would make it easier."

"Yeah it would, that's why I'm here McCoy. Now can we get this show on the road?"

"Yes of course." Hank tapped out a command and a panel slid back from the wall, revealing a sixty inch flat panel display. "The first episode I will show you occurred nearly ten hours after you were brought in."

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He just wanted this to be over. "Just play the damn thing."

Hank sat behind his desk, while Janet and Logan grabbed chairs from his conference room. There wasn't really much to see until the end. He was lying in the bed, with a bunch of wires stuck to him and an IV taped to his right arm. Hank and Janet were looking at the monitors, while Marie was sitting in a chair by his bed, her small gloved hand swallowed up in one of his. After maybe thirty seconds his body began to twitch, and a few moments after that he began to moan, mumbling the words he remembered from his dream. When he started to thrash around Hank barked an order to get back. The IV went flying in a shower of fluid, glass, and blood. Suddenly he shot upright into a sitting position and he howled, a gut wrenching cry of rage and despair. The horrible claws sprang out of his hands, but before the echo of his anguish had died in the little room, they slid back into his body as he collapsed into a fetal position on the bed. The screen went dark and Janet turned away, looking at the man beside her. He was staring straight ahead, hands tightly gripping the arms of the chair.

The scene that played out on the monitor had brought all the agony of his dream back. He cringed at the sound of that animalistic howl. Like a slide show from hell, the images jolted through his brain, transporting him back to those last, gut wrenching moments. The pain as the explosions hammered at his skull, the mangled flesh of his friends splattering across his chest and face. And permeating everything, like a putrid haze of death, was the smell. Blood, gore, and decaying flesh; the stink of it all burned his nostrils, the memory seared into his brain. It had to be real. Even his brain couldn't conjure up a something this foul from nothing. The skin of his knuckles burned to release the claws, to do something, anything to relieve the feeling of grief and rage that griped him. When Janet's hand lightly touch his shoulder he flinched, pulling away from the comfort she was offering. With a power of will that he didn't know he had, he pulled himself back from the brink, taking slow deep breaths. He could smell the hurt on her, but right now he couldn't care. Finally, Hank broke the awkward silence.

"Logan, are you alright?"

He turned a hard gaze on his friend, relieved not to be facing Janet. "What the fuck does yer nose tell ya McCoy?"

Hank took a long shuddering breath. "Indeed. Do you want to continue this?"

Did he? Mariko was too good to be true. That's what his gut told him. How could she want to be the wife of a freak like him? It was a fucking fantasy. But it was also a drug. If he kept thinking about it, wondering if it was true, he could lose himself in it. Since he was not a man for make believe, it was best to find out now.

"Yeah I do. Let's get this over with."

While Hank fiddled with his keyboard, he stuck his left hand out grouping, and calmed a little when Janet took it and squeezed. Then he turned and looked, and all he saw on her face was patient understanding. With a nod she released him, and they settled back to watch.

He was strapped to the bed this time, and the only person in the room with him was Marie. The kid was holding his hand again, but when he started to move she let go, jumping back out of his reach. Then it got a little strange. Because when he started talking, it wasn't English coming out of his mouth. Logan was pretty good with French, and he'd picked up a little Spanish on his trips to Mexico, but that was as far as his foreign language skills went. Until now. Apparently being in a coma gave him the ability to speak Japanese. Only trouble was that now that he was awake he was a little slow understanding what was being said. He heard the words in his own voice, but it took a few seconds before is brain could figure out what those words meant in English. He groped for the memory of the other side of the conversation, and he realized that Mariko was speaking Japanese as well. Not a real surprise, but it made things even harder for him to follow. As it was, by the time the screen went blank, he'd just been starting to sort things out.

"Play it again McCoy," he growled, and after a few moments the recording started once more.

This time he understood what was being said without any effort, and he could savor the details of his memory. The sigh of a light breeze tickling the bamboo wind chimes. The luxurious feel of her soft hands on his face. Her expressive eyes, shining with the emotion of the moment. The delicate beauty of her face, lips curving into a smile as she dipped her head to kiss him. The wondrous, calming scent of her love for him that filled the air like a sweet, subtle perfume. And her voice, coaxing him gently but firmly to believe in that love. With a dawning sense of horror, he realized that he'd heard that voice before.

It was in a dream of course, the one he'd had a few days after his first meeting with Fury at the Dew Drop Inn. A woman without a face, calling out to him in the darkness, begging for an end to her suffering. It was true. His deepest gut level instinct screamed that this wasn't some delusion cooked up by his pathetic excuse for a memory. He didn't know how or why, didn't remember anything else about what ever time they'd had together. Did they ever get married, find some peace to have a life, maybe even start a family? All that was a blank. What he did know for sure was that in the end, the only thing he'd been able to offer Mariko was death. All he'd ever wanted was to remember something from his past, something good. Right now he wished he could wipe it all away.

As the screen went blank he lurched to his feet, kicking the chair away. "She loved me and I killed her," he groaned, sick from the feelings of loathing and rage that gripped him.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he heard Janet's voice, but he couldn't understand what she was trying to say. He had to get the fuck out. He shrugged her off, but before he could move away, another much larger hand grabbed his wrist. It was too much. He twisted his body, pulling McCoy off balance, then planted his free hand right in the middle of his massive chest and shoved. Hank stumbled back and crashed into the steel shelves that lined the wall behind him. Binders, books, and stacks of paper slid off, pelting McCoy and crashing to the floor. Logan turned to go, but Janet had moved to put herself between him and the door.

"Get outta my way Phillips."

'Logan," she answered in a calm voice, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

"Ya don't need to. Now move."

"Would you kindly speak English," Hank called out from behind him.

"What?" He turned to find Hank buried to the knees in papers and books.

"We do not speak Japanese."

Neither do I, he was going to answer. Except that was no longer true. The anger drained out of him. "Sorry McCoy…I didn't know I was."

"What is it Logan?" He turned to look at her, seeing the concern on her face. He didn't deserve it.

"I don't want ta talk about it," he told her in a listless voice. When she started to protest he cut her off. "Not now. Later. I need ta think."

She nodded and slid out of his way. Shoulders hunched, he trudged out of the door. She watched him until he was out of the med lab.

"What did we just do Hank?"

"They were his memories Janet. We only helped him to understand that they were true."

"Maybe there's things you're better off not remembering."

"Logan has been searching for answers to his past for nearly twenty years. I don't think he would agree with you."

"How can you say that? Did you see his face? Did you see how much pain this caused him?"

Hank didn't answer right away. Instead he slid open the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a worn folder, spilling the contents on the top of his desk. They were pictures. He pulled some out of the pile and carefully arranged them so the Janet could see. One was of a teenage boy in a football uniform. Another a family picnic. A young man graduating for college, his relatives crowded around. The last was of a middle aged couple with three adolescent children, all smiling for the photographer.

"This is me," he said slowly, pointing to the football player, "and the others are members of my family. When my status as a mutant was revealed our relationship…changed. Being rejected by those whom you love can be a very painful experience. Even so, I have no desire to forget what we once shared."

"I don't know Hank. There's a difference between what you're talking about and helping him to remember things that only cause him misery."

"They are still his memories. Unless his mind has changed on the matter, Logan still wants to know all he can about the man he was. We cannot make the decision for him, but as his friends we can help him cope with the consequences"

"I suppose you're right," she answered finally, although her tone of voice told him she didn't really believe it. "Hank, there's something about this I don't understand. Logan said something to me when I mentioned that these dreams could be real memories. He wanted to know why he'd start remembering now. Any ideas?"

"Yes."

"Hank…"

"I have only the most tenuous of theories right now. However, I will say that what has happened over the last few days does give me reason to believe there is hope."

"Just because of this?"

"Indeed. Janet, before today I did not believe it was possible for Logan to remember anything from his past before he was altered. I had assumed that whatever they did to rob him of his memories had been permanent"

"So…maybe it's still all there, inside his mind. That he just can't…what…connect with it?"

"Perhaps. I need more data. But at least this gives us a place to start."

"I still don't see it Hank. What does this do for him."

"Well, call it reverse engineering. If it can be determined how it is he came to remember the things he did, then it might be possible to understand how he was made to forget."

**I hope someone is still interested in this. Sorry for the long silence. As always, any feedback is greatly appriciated. For those of you who might want to know, the other dream that Logan refers to can be found in Chapter 20.**


	33. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own Logan or the X-Men. They belong to Marvel.

Chapter 32

There was no light or sound, only a pleasant feeling of warmth, like he was wrapped in a blanket. It must be a dream he mused and he smiled, wondering if he would see Jean again. He waited feeling totally relaxed, letting his mind drift in the stillness, until he began to hear faint sounds, maybe voices, he couldn't be sure. There was still no light, and he wondered if he should just open his eyes, but that thought terrified him and then he remembered why. His limbs felt stiff and numb, his mind muddled, without any sense of time or place. After a while the fog inside his skull began to lift, the unease fading a little. Gradually, he noticed that his leg was hurt. At first it wasn't much, but the discomfort slowly blossomed into something like pain, until finally it was a burning, constant ache. The sounds he had heard grew sharper, and became voices, spoken by real people. People who were talking about him.

"Boss, I think he's coming around." Still a little fuzzy, but he's pretty sure that was a woman's voice.

"Give him another dose." Low and raspy, and definitely not a woman.

"Boss, we really should wait a while. This is pretty strong stuff."

"Not gonna kill him, is it?"

"No, but you're not going to be able to talk to him for a while."

"Just do it Todd."

A needle was jabbed into his flesh, the sting jolting him from the torpor that had gripped him. Images flashed through his mind, memories of what had happened to him. The warehouse full of Hydra agents. His desperate fight for survival. A red beam of death erupting from his eyes, instantly reducing the three men in it's path to a mist of blood, torn flesh, and shards of bone. His eyes snapping shut, appalled at his act of destruction, feeling awful that he was glad to be alive. The horrible noise that suddenly echoed through the building, quickly followed by a blow to his head. After that, only darkness. A complete absence of light that was still with him.

Where was he? What…Ororo, Hank, Peter…oh shit Logan. The fear that gripped him was like a kick to his gut. He attempts to sit up but he can't, and it has nothing to do with how weak he feels. He's strapped down, and more then that, something is wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. The fear jumps to panic, and he struggles against his bonds. Then a hand roughly presses him back against the pad he's lying on, overwhelming his feeble effort. He has no idea where he is or who has him and that should scare the hell out of him, but he's too doped up to care. All he can think of as he feels himself slipping into darkness is that he has to know.

"Where are they?" He groaned, fighting the powerful desire to sleep.

"You're friends are alright Summers," the man answered, but the drugs are kicking in, and he can't manage to speak the questions he needs answers to. Where is he? Who are these people? He wants to see his friends, hear it from them they're fine. But that's not going to happen right now, and there's nothing he can do about it.

When he wakes up he still can't see and he wants to vomit. Gradually, the nausea fades and cautiously he pushed himself into a sitting position. His hands run over soft cloth and a pillow, and his nose identifies the odors of cleaning soap and new carpeting. Not really what he was expecting. Slowly his hands go to his face, sliding along what felt like a well padded leather blind fold that was wrapped tightly round his head. So they knew what he could do. Not that it would help at all if he opened his eyes. He wondered if they knew that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Needing to do something, Scott stood up and tested his leg, gritting his teeth against the pain that burned when he put some weight on it. Then he began to shuffle slowly around the room, trying to paint a mental picture of his prison. The first circuit gave him little information and some more bruises to add to his collection, but it didn't taken him long to adapt to his artificial blindness. After all, he'd spent nearly a year like this after his gift had manifested. That had been almost a decade ago, but the memory of old habits came back quickly.

After resting for several minutes, he began again. Slowly plodding along, sliding a foot in front to feel for obstacles, then dragging the rest of his body forward when he was sure the path was clear. He followed the wall as best he could, moving around objects in his path until he found a door. Locked of course, but he was still glad to know where it was. His crab like scuttling allowed him to feel with both his feet and hands, as he slowly mapped out the strange space in his head. Several leather chairs were scattered about, with a nice carpet under his feet. There was even something like a wet bar tucked against one wall. By the end of his third circuit he thought he knew his way around well enough to maneuver without tripping. He had just decided to test that theory and started moving toward the bar, when he heard a noise at the door.

It swung open and three sets of footsteps were moving toward him. His first instinct was to fight, to rip the barrier from his eyes and unleash his power. Instead, he forced himself to relax. They obviously wanted him alive for some reason, so maybe he should find out what it was before he did anything that would change that. The foot falls stopped, and he could almost feel the figures that were standing around him, not quite close enough to touch.

"Relax Summers, we're not here to hurt you." It was the man from before, the one who had told him his teammates were fine. Right after he ordered someone to inject him with a drug.

"Why is that," another voice sneered, "after what he did?"

"Something on your mind Jenks?"

"What do you think Boss?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you."

"Not just me Boss. Lots of us are wondering why you're protecting this piece of shit."

"You got a hearing problem?"

"He killed a SHIELD agent!"

"Not what happened," the other man answered in a cold voice, "and you don't need me to tell me that. You already read the report. What I do need is for you to shut your mouth and do your fucking job. If you can't or won't I'll take your credentials right now." After a few seconds of silence the man spoke again. "Anyone have anything else they want to tell me? Then get moving."

A hand grasped his arm firmly and steered him out of the room. They moved slowly up a flight of stairs and down a short hallway into another room. His guide led him over to a chair and grunted a command to sit. Scott slid into the chair, his mind trying to process the conversation that he'd just heard. Whatever they were talking about, it must have happened during the fight with Hydra; when he had opened his eyes. It was only a few seconds, he told himself. He'd been on his back, looking up and had clearly seen the beam of force he'd unleashed stabbing through the gaping hole in the roof. Then his eyes clamped shut and…the explosion. That was the last thing he remembered. He rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the headache he felt coming on. What the hell had happened?

"Keep your eyes closed," the voice ordered, and Scott felt a hand on the back of his head and the pressure of whatever was holding his eyes shut was gone. The familiar weight of his goggles settling over his face was a relief. He opened his eyes and found the red tint he normally resented so much was comforting.

The room was large, with a long table that ran down the middle. Chairs lined one side of it, facing a wall with a large plasma display. A man was standing to his right. About six foot, unshaven, and wearing a midnight blue SHIELD body suit, with a patch covering his left eye. The face looked familiar, but Scott couldn't place him at first. Except for the eye patch, he looked like any other SHIELD agent, right down to the arrogant expression on his face. No wonder Logan didn't trust them. Logan…suddenly he had it. Lisa Donald had produced a photograph that had been sent by her boss, Nick Fury. The picture showed two men, both sporting eye patches, drinking beer. One he had recognized immediately as Logan. He had no idea who the other man was, until Donald had identified him as Fury. That same man was staring down at him through one narrowed, unblinking brown eye. It was a hell of a thing, because Fury hadn't changed at all, and the picture was over forty years old.

"You got something you want to ask me Summers?" Fury asked grinning at him. Scott really wanted to wipe that smile off his face.

"Where are my friends Fury?" Was out of his mouth before he could think straight.

"So you know who I am?" The older man questioned him, looking a little surprised.

"Of course I do. Answer my damned question."

"Like I said before, they're fine."

"When can I see them?"

"Soon. Xavier is on his way. When he gets here you're free to go. We have things we need to talk about first."

"Like why I'm here?"

"I know you aren't deaf Summers."

Scott shook his head, trying to calm the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "How did it happen?"

Fury walked around to the other side of the table. He picked up a remote and the screen came to life, showing blurry footage with a washed out greenish tint, taken from several hundred feet above the warehouse.

"We had four choppers coming in to insert a strike team," Fury said, glancing at Scott before he turned back to the screen. "They were on final approach to drop their loads when the wind suddenly kicked up to hurricane force."

"That was Storm," Scott answered, staring at the screen.

"Yeah, no kidding. Two of the helos aborted the approach, but the others came on. When they spotted the hole that Munroe had torn in the roof, the pilots decide to insert directly into the building."

Scott could see the video jump as the choppers were buffeted by the powerful winds. The camera swung around to focus ahead as the first helicopter slowed to hover directly over the huge gap. Smoke was pouring out, blurring the image, but he could still make out the thin lines dropping down and the black clad figures sliding down into the building. It only took seconds before the ropes were retracted and the chopper started to move away. Suddenly the video froze.

"Now watch closely," Fury ordered and pressed another button on the remote.

When the recording resumed, Scott saw that it was running in slow motion. The copter started to tilt, veering sharply away and there was a sudden flash of red. His optic blast, winking into view from one frame to the next, had clearly missed; and Scoot felt relief wash was over him. That quickly changed when the chopper's tail rooter clipped a jagged piece of metal. Sparks flew, and then the rooter fractured, pieces spinning away into the night. The machine was clearly out of control, and it only took a few seconds, even at the slow speed of the playback, before the tail boom impacted against the side of the building. A bright orange blossom of flame bloomed, racing up the boom so fast that in moments the whole machine was engulfed in a dance of fire. Pieces started flying off and the chopper fluttered for a moment, before dropping through the break in the roof, trailing smoke and flames, turning to darkness as the recording stopped.

"The investigation is still on going," Fury said after a seconds, "but the ruling is going to be that Perkins' death was accidental."

"Perkins?" Scott whispered, still staring at the blank screen.

"Yeah…the chopper pilot."

"Don't you mean the man I killed Fury?"

"Not what I just saw."

"That's bullshit," Scott yelled, tearing his face away from the empty plasma screen to look at the other man. "He swerved to avoid my optic blast! That's why he's dead."

"Maybe. And maybe it was the wind. Maybe I should pick up Munroe."

"You leave her out of this."

"Relax Summers. You saw what happened. It wasn't anyone's fault. The op was FUBAR from the word go. Why would you want to take the blame for that?"

"That's not what your people think."

"Yeah," Fury answered, a ghost of a smile on his face, "some of them are kind of pissed at you. And it's understandable. Until we examined the footage, it did look bad."

"Someone died Fury, and may be it wasn't because of me, but may be it was! How the hell am I supposed to live with that?"

"That's your problem Summers. This is to."

Reaching down, Fury pulled a fat yellow envelope out of a satchel on the floor and slid it across to the table. Inside there were dozens of pictures. Logan fighting Deathstrike. Some of Stryker's goons leading the captured students from the school off planes that had brought them there. There was even one of him and Jean fighting in the basement, surrounded by machinery. But the one that made his blood run cold was the photograph of Xavier hooked up to Cerebro, with Jason Stryker sitting just to his left, staring blankly into space.

"There's a lot more," the older man said after a while, "but I'm sure you get the point."

"How did you get this?" Scott asked in a low flat voice.

"From Stryker's security cameras at Alkali Lake. He had a back door set up to dump everything from his security system into a mirror at a remote sight. Call it his insurance policy. We hacked in to his server and changed the IP address."

"You knew Fury! You knew what that fucking bastard was doing!"

The other man shook his head. "No we didn't. Not until it was too late. Stryker was off our radar, had been for a long time."

"That's a fucking lie."

"You know what Summers," Fury answered in a calm voice, "I don't give a damn what you think. You've got the problem here. What you need to focus on is keeping this from getting into the wrong hands."

Scott took a deep breath, "So what are you telling me? That you're the only one who knows?"

Fury gave a brief bark of laughter. "You're still alive Summers. Xavier's school is still standing. If Homeland Security knew what really happened at Alkali Lake, you wouldn't be." When he saw the defiant set of Scott's mouth he just smiled. "Don't kid yourself. Stryker sent a team in because that's all he had. Besides, he wanted prisoners. If they knew what really happened, they'd just drop a bomb on you."

"It's a school Fury."

"They. Don't. Care. Do you have any idea how close Lenscherr came to using Xavier to kill every non-mutant on the planet? No one is going to give a damn that it was Stryker's fucked up idea. All they're going to see is that mutants attacked them. If any of this ever comes out, the first place their going to look at is your school."

"We're not public," Scott insisted, his mind wandering back to all those talks he and the Professor had about disguising the true nature of the school.

"You've got to be kidding me," the other man chuckled, making no attempt to conceal his contempt. "If Xavier had wanted to keep the school a secret, he never should have let Dr. Gray testify before the Senate."

Scott swallowed hard at the mention of Jean's name, and it took a few seconds before he could talk. "We had to do something Fury!"

Fury didn't see why. The fact was that the vast majority of mutants had either simple abilities or none at all. Registration would drive that home and make the whole mutation thing a lot less frightening. Then again, he wasn't a mutant. No one was asking him to add his name and personal information to a government database. What he was sure of was that attracting attention to themselves in order to fight it had not been worth the trade off. Once you got on their radar, it was damned near impossible to drop below the horizon again.

"You're trying to run a secret group of mutant vigilantes out of a school Summers," Fury answered, his tone biting. "Then you go and invite scrutiny by lobbying for mutant rights." After letting his words sink in he pressed on. "You're going to have to make some choices. Otherwise, that precious school of yours in going to end up a big black hole in the ground."

And it's like the bastard can read his mind Scott thought, because ever since Alkali Lake he wakes up in a cold sweat at least once a week, the mansion burning in his dreams. What he wanted to do is tell the other man to go fuck himself and walk out. But it's not that simple.

"What do you want for this Fury?" He asked, holding up the folder, and only part of it is a question.

"What, you think this is about blackmail?"

"What else would it be?" Scott snapped, tired of the game. "I'm pretty sure one of the things you don't do is charity. So why don't you just cut the crap and…"

"Don't call it blackmail. That's illegal. Why don't we just say it's leverage."

"Leverage? For what? If you think I'm…"

"Xavier."

"Then why are you talking to me?"

"Because he trusts you."

"Damn it Fury just tell me what this is about."

"It's about Cerebro," he answered after a few seconds. He was good Fury thought, damned good. His expression didn't give anything away. Of course it was a huge disadvantage that he couldn't see Summers eyes. In his experience, it was the eyes that usually gave you away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Scott shot back in a calm voice. "We didn't do this Fury. What happened at Alkali Lake was…"

"We know Summers, so just shut up and listen," Fury snorted, not bothering to hide his amusement. It felt good to let the mask slip a little, instead of the usual bullshit that required him to nod and smile at the most outlandish of lies. Right now he can't be bothered to make the attempt, and to his credit Summers looks a little embarrassed as well.

"We got more than pictures off of Stryker's computers. We know what Cerebro is and how Stryker got his hands on it. And we know what it can do. I'm sure Xavier thought he had a good reason for building it, but I'm telling you that I don't care. It's got to go."

"We are not part of SHIELD," Scott replied calmly, "so what makes you think you can…"

"I'm not asking. Either you dismantle that thing or I send those files to Homeland and let them deal with it."

"And I told you before, you're talking to the wrong person."

"No I'm not. Xavier will listen to you. Show him the files. Make him understand that this has to happen."

"It not that simple Fury. Cerebro is vital to our operations. How can we find new mutants if we can't use it?"

"It is that simple Summers. You'll just have to find another way to get what you need. You're a smart guy. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Why are you doing this? Why do you give a shit about what happens to us? Why do you care…"

"You're an asset," Fury interrupted in a cold voice, his single eye boring in on him. "You, the school, the team, and maybe some of the students. I don't like seeing assets go to waste. And that's what's going to happen unless you change what you're doing."

"An asset? Go to hell Fury," Scott yelled, not bothering to hide his anger. "We've spent years building the school up to be a place where mutants can be safe. Those kids trust us, and I'm not going to betray that trust by turning them into weapons for you."

The other man shrugged. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you started running the X-Men out of that school." He tilted his head slightly to one side and nodded. "Xavier should be here in a few minutes. Talk to him. I expect you to notify me about his agreement on Cerebro within the next three days. I'll be in touch after that."

Without looking back, Fury strode from the room, leaving a confused and angry Scott Summers staring into space. With some shame, he thought back to the time they'd first discussed forming the X-Men. He remembered both Hank and Ororo expressing their objections, most of which revolved around the same issues that Fury had just thrown in his face. And he had all but laughed at them, questioning their unwillingness to stand up for other mutants. He had been sick of being a target back then, eager to fight back. It had all seemed like a game at the time, one that gave him access to some really impressive toys.

That changed after the Statue of Liberty. Death had never seemed quite so close before. He remembered thinking afterward that he really needed to ask Jean to marry him, before it was too late. But the time never seemed right, and before he knew it, the opportunity had slipped through his fingers forever. Since then it's been one blow after another. The game ended for good when he used his gift to kill three men a couple of seconds before they could murder him. Now it was a fight for survival, one they wouldn't win if they went on like before. Perhaps what they really need was someone like Fury to show him the way out. And maybe they didn't need Fury at all. There was someone else he could turn to, and at least he knew that one could be trusted. The question was, would Logan ever trust him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was nearly below the horizon when Logan eased his bike into the gravel parking lot of the Dew Drop Inn. He cut the ignition and hooked the stand into place. Fishing a cigar out of his jacket, he bit off the end and put a match to it. Then he sat back on the bike and puffed away, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing. When he'd left Xavier's six hours ago he didn't really have a plan, just the familiar urge to pick up and go. He'd taken one of Xavier's cars into Salem Center and caught a train into the city so he could pick up his Harley. Something inside him wanted to get out, cut the ties he was forming here, before it became too painful. Except that it was already too late for that.

In all the time since he'd escaped from Stryker, this was the longest he'd stayed in one place, besides the winters he spent living in a small cabin on the edge of the barren lands in northern Saskatchewan. Of course there were no people there, only the wind, the snow, and some scraggly trees. He'd never felt more at peace any where else that he could remember. Part of him wanted that peace back. Wanted to cut the bonds he'd formed in the last few months and go back to the life he knew so well. Never staying in one place for too long, never letting people get close. Never being vulnerable. The itch had been growing for weeks, that need to move on, before someone found out, before they got too close. He'd tried to push the urge away, telling himself those reasons no longer existed. Reasons he'd never really thought a lot about, until the moment he'd seen Stryker's face again after nearly fifteen years.

On that long drive up to Drake's, some things had clicked into place. All the years of constant movement, of never letting people get to know him. In some corner of his fucked up mind, deep down where he couldn't get to it, was the memory of what Stryker had done to him. Mostly, it had surfaced in his dreams, the nightmares he had of the unspeakable things that were inflicted on him. But it was also the reason he need to keep on the move, to keep himself out of the grip of the nameless stranger who haunted his sleep. So why, he asked himself on the long train ride into New York, did he still want to run. He'd put a name to his ghost. Hell, he'd even seen him die. And it didn't change a damned thing.

Now he was trying to chase another ghost, one named Mariko. He didn't have a whole lot to go on. Just a brief glimpse of something that was more a dream, but less the a memory. He felt like someone who was trying to puzzle out the plot of a book with just a couple of random pages to go by. Actually, that wasn't completely true. He certainly knew the end of the story. He had written it in her blood. Now he wanted the rest, answers to questions he didn't know how to ask. At least he knew a man who could give him some answers. The only problem was, he didn't think he could talk to Fury right now without slitting his throat.

It wasn't just the thing with Summers. Hell, he was pissed that SHIELD had grabbed him, but it was a game he could understand. What really made his knuckles itch was the game Fury had played with him. Used him and those kids as bait for a bunch of ruthless fucks. He couldn't see any other reason why Fury had left him in the dark about Hydra. That was something that required payback. He'd have to leave it for now, but there was no way he could talk to the bastard, let alone ask him for a favor.

It was at a stop light in the heart of Manhattan about twenty minutes after he'd picked up his Harley when it came to him. There was someone else he could go to. The man who was at the Dew Drop Inn with Fury that first night. Damn it, what had the old guy said? "You always were an asshole Logan." Growling in frustration, he ransacked his brain trying to place his name. By the time the light finally turned green he had, his lips curling into a faint smile. Dugan.

The bartender at the Dew Drop Inn was a young kid who was having trouble keeping up. It didn't take much to convince him that if wanted to stay healthy, it would be a good idea to dial Dugan's number and hand him the phone.

"Damn it Chris," a gruff, irritated voice answered after the forth ring. "I told you never to call me at this number, unless it was important."

"I ain't Chris. And it's pretty damned important." The phone was silent for so long that Logan thought the other man had hung up on him.

"What do you want?" Dugan finally answered, his irritation giving way to anger.

"Need ta talk to ya."

"You didn't bothered to get in touch with me for fifteen fucking years. Give me a reason why I should want to talk to you now?"

"Really can't think of one," Logan respond slowly, "I sure as hell wouldn't if I was you."

"Mind telling me what this is about."

"I need some information Dugan. Was hopin you could help me out."

"I'm not with SHIELD any more Logan. Haven't been for years. I don't know anything."

"Then why were you here when I saw Fury?"

"That was a favor."

"Then do one for me Dugan."

"I don't own you any damned favors Logan."

"Never said ya did," Logan shot back. "This ain't got nothing ta do with SHIELD. It's about the past. My past. I'll even buy."

"The hell you will," Dugan groaned, "I've seen the kind of swill you drink."

"Suit yourself."

There was another long silence. "What are you playing at Logan?"

"It's just like I told ya. I need ta know somethin, and you're the only one I can ask."

"Stay at the bar. I'll be there in an hour." Then the line fell silent for a few seconds. "I meant what I said Logan. I'm done with the game. You start in on it and I walk." Before he could say anything to that Dugan hung up.

He was nursing his third beer when his cell started to vibrate. When he'd pulled from his pocket and looked at the number he almost groaned. It was Xavier, and there were only two reason why the old man would be calling him now. Either he'd gotten Summers away from Fury or he hadn't.

"Tell me ya got good news Chuck."

"I think it is," answered the slightly smug voice of Scott Summers, "I'm just not sure if you do."

"So Fury let ya go?"

"I'm talking to you Logan."

"Just want ta be clear."

"Yes, he let me go. Ororo and the Professor picked me up an hour ago. Now how soon can you get back. We need to talk."

"Not for a while," he answered, after taking a long pull of his beer. "Got some stuff I need ta take care of first." He really wanted to hear the whole story, but not now. And not over the phone.

"This is important," Scott snapped in irritation, "tell her you need to take a rain check."

"Your just gonna have ta wait Summers," Logan growled, remembering all the ways the other man pissed him off. Nothing you were doing ever seemed to matter. What Summers wanted always came first.

"Is she a red head Logan?"

"And you think I'm an asshole?"

There was a few seconds of silence before Scott responded. "Ok…I shouldn't have said that."

"Ya think?"

"Look…I really do need to talk with you."

"Ain't gonna be a problem. You can jaw at me all ya want, as soon as I get back."

"And when is that?"

"When I'm done here," he grunted, breaking the connection and turning his phone off.

He'd gone through two more beers and a cigar before Dugan showed. A door behind the bar opened and a large, well dressed man with flaming red hair gone slightly gray and a handle bar mustache stepped out. His eyes scanned the smoky room until his gaze fell on Logan. There was a quick jerk of his head and he slipped back through the door, which was left open. He downed the rest of his beer in one go and followed Dugan through the door, shutting it behind him. It was the same room that Fury had used for their interview a couple of weeks ago. Same beat up table scarred with the burns of countless cigarettes, along with a couple of metal folding chairs. On the table was a bottle of single malt, a box of cigars, and a paring knife along with dish towel. Shaking his head he looked up at Dugan, ready to ask him what the hell was going on, and found himself staring down the business end of a silenced Glock.

"What the hell is this?" He asked in an angry voice. If Dugan knew anything about him at all, he had to be aware that the gun was a joke. He slowly brought his hands down to either side of his torso, flaring them out slightly, as his body tensed, ready to strike.

"Don't," Dugan called out calmly, "or the first shot goes through your right eye."

Shit he thought, guess the old bastard did know him. It would be a hell of a shot from the other side of the room, but Logan didn't smell fear, so at least Dugan thought he could make it.

"You'd better not miss," he snarled after a few seconds.

"You should know I won't. Relax. Didn't come here to shoot you."

"What did ya come for?"

"Go to the table and pick up the knife."

He didn't like it, but at least it got him closer. Of course, that worked for Dugan too.

"Alright," he barked, "now what? Ya got some apples ya want me ta peel?"

"If you're Logan, then you know what I want."

"I don't know what you're talkin about."

"Nothing from you in fifteen years Logan. Did you think I'd just take your word? Either you show me what I want or I put a bullet in your brain."

Damned it he cursed, why did everyone from his past have to be an asshole? Of course Dugan did have a point. Logan knew there was at least one person who could make herself look exactly like him, if she wanted. Probably had to be others. And since he didn't remember a damned thing about Dugan, there was nothing he could tell the man to prove who he was. Fine. His right hand twitched, and three razor sharp claws snapped out with a loud SNICK!

"This what you wanted?" He snarled, but the other man didn't react. He just stood there, gaping for so long that Logan wondered if he even knew about the claws. "Would you put that gun away. Ain't gonna do much ta me anyway."

"Holy mother of God," Dugan whispered after a few seconds. Logan wondered if he would have crossed himself if he wasn't holding a pistol in his right hand. Finally, he shoved his weapon into the pocket of his long, black over coat and grabbed the bottle off the table. His hands only shook slightly as he poured himself a drink. He was in perfect control again by the time he slammed the empty glass on the table.

"Jesus Christ Logan, what the hell are those?"

"Claws," he snorted, wondering just how well this guy had known him. He retracted the deadly weapons back into his body and grabbed the bottle to pour one of his own. "You saying you ain't ever seen em before?"

"You know I haven't," Dugan responded, confusion showing on his face. "Fury told me. And he said they were bone, not metal. How in God's name did you get those?"

"That don't make sense Dugan. If you knew so damned well, how the hell can you have never seen my claws?"

"You never showed them to anyone that I know of, except for Fury, when you gutted Strucker in Madripoor."

Now that did made sense. Fury had told him the same thing at their first face to face. Which made him wonder why. Why keep them a secret? To give him an edge? Or maybe he just didn't like them all that much. Kind of the way he felt now.

"That why you wanted me to put em out?" He asked in a hard voice. "So you could be sure it was me?"

"Hell no! I wanted you to use this," he answered, picking up the knife, "to cut yourself. That was the test Fury had to make sure it was you."

"Mystique?"

"Raven. Raven Darkholme. She could fake the claws, but not the healing."

"Fair enough," he muttered, wondering who that was.

"The claws Logan. What the hell happened?"

He didn't answer. Not right away. He needed to work up to it a little. So he sat on one of the crummy chairs and pulled the box of cigars over and inhaled. They were Cubans. He opened the box and took one out, using the small knife to cut the end off. When he had a nice, even glow going he poured himself some Scotch and just sipped it a little.

"It was Stryker," he said finally in a low angry voice. "He gave em to me, and took away everything else."

For the next few minutes, he told the story as concisely as possible. At least the parts he knew, minus the gruesome tortures that the madman had inflicted on him. Dugan didn't react much, didn't do anything accept listen and nurse his drink. Until the end, when Logan told him of Stryker's fate. Then his face broke into a wide smile, and Logan decided he wouldn't want to have the other man for an enemy.

"Let me get this straight, you don't remember anything before Stryker got his hands on you?"

"Yeah, pretty much don't remember a damned thing before Stryker. Just dreams and flashes of stuff, least ways until a few days ago."

"You didn't know Fury or me," Dugan whispered, as if talking to himself. "I was thinking…you were acting strange that night. But Fury was sure it was you." Dugan paused to pour himself a fresh drink. "You should be talking to Nick. He knows a hell of a lot more about you than I do."

"Can't. I'm pissed at him. Don't know if I could see him right now without rippin his guts out."

Dugan shook his head, chuckling. "He kind of has the effect on people. Still don't get why you're asking me. How do you even…"

"…remember you? I don't, not really. You said somethin that night, when I saw Fury, made me think you knew me from before."

"Oh yeah…well it's true. You didn't like to many people back when I knew you. Maybe that's why we got on so well." Dugan fell silent, staring at the cigar box. After a while he shrugged and pulled one out, fishing a cutter out of his pocket. After he set a match to it, his eyes met Logan's. "So…you going tell me what this is all about?"

"Like I told ya, something happened ta me a few days ago. Lost a lot of blood, too much for even my healing ta pick up the slack. Guess I slipped into a coma."

"What, did you get hit by a train again?"

"Again?"

"Never mind," Dugan muttered around a swallow of whiskey, but Logan could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't a pleasant memory.

"While I was out, somethin weird happened. It was like a dream, only I could smell stuff, feel pain. There was a woman there, talkin to me. Felt real, not like a dream at all. Hell, I even started talkin Japanese. What?"

Dugan just shook his head and looked away. "You speak it like a native. You spent a lot of time there Logan. How the hell could you…"

"I told ya," he yelled, pointing at his head, "it's all a blank up here. Until a couple of days ago I just…I had no clue I could speak the language. Didn't remember a fucking thing about Japan…or her."

Dugan stared at him, then took another swallow of his drink. "Just who are we talking about?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Mariko." Logan said in a soft voice. "That's her name."

"Mariko Yashida?" And he stops, because the mask that Logan has worn since their conversation began has slipped a little. A quick bobbing of his Adam's Apple, and then it's back in place. Dugan thinks he knows why. He just doesn't know if he can believe it. "Don't know much, just what Fury told me. You should talk to him."

"Yashida," Logan says softly, almost to himself.

Then he says it again and Dugan started to worry, because he just realized something he should have know from the moment Logan told him about his lost memory. This isn't the same man that he'd know for over forty years. The fact has been staring him in the face since they started talking, but somehow he missed it. That Logan never let you see how he felt. He was always in control, always seeming to know what was on your mind, while carefully hiding his own thoughts. Even on those rare occasions when they were together apart from an op, he was damned near impossible to read. Eventually Dugan figured out why, but it didn't make it any less creepy, even if it made sense. But this guy wasn't hiding anything, not now. Because now that mask he'd worn was gone completely. There was anger and pain in Logan's eyes, and if he wasn't careful, that anger would be directed at him.

"She was Yakuza Logan. Japanese organized crime. Her clan was the largest, and after her father died she became the head. She wanted to get out of the business, go legit. Fury thought he saw a chance to destabilize them. Most of the old timers didn't like her calling the shots, so he sent you over to back her play."

"Fury sent me? You tellin me I worked for him?"

"Hell no. Nick just knew you hated the Yakuza. That's why he offered you the job. No doubt the money was good, but I'm thinking you would have gone for nothing."

"So what happened?"

"The clan Yashida was destroyed. Not that it did much. The Yakuza are as strong as ever."

"I don't give a shit Dugan. Just tell me what happened to the woman."

"Fury told me she was dead. Didn't say why or how. That's all I know."

"You're holdin out on me. I can smell it."

"The rest was Fury's bullshit." Only he wasn't so sure now. Not with the way Logan was acting.

"Just tell me."

"Nick was pissed off about how things went down and I couldn't figure out why. Sure, the gangs didn't disappear, but at least the most powerful one was finished. So I asked him. He said the op was screwed, that he should never have brought you in on it. When I asked him why he told me, and I laughed in his face. He told me that you fell in love with Mariko. That you had wanted to marry her."

Slowly, Logan rose from his chair, hands on the table, looming over Dugan. "What the hell is so fucking funny about that?"

He didn't answer right away, because he knew that he had to be damned careful with the next thing he told Logan. If he wanted to live. "Because of what you once told me, after laughing your ass off when I got myself into the same situation."

They started across the table at each other for a few seconds, then Logan sat down. "I still don't get the joke," he rumbled, after downing the rest of his drink and pouring another. "Why don't you let me in on it?"

"It was while we were in Madripoor. Hydra tried to stage a coup there in 72. The government asked for help and SHIELD was sent in. You were already there, feeding us intel on their forces. After you killed Strucker…"

"Already heard about this Dugan," Logan interrupted with a wave of his hand. "Just cut to the chase, will ya."

The other man blinked a few times and smiled. "Fury and I were there for a couple of months afterward, hunting down the last deep cover Hydra operatives. While I was there, I started seeing a girl…"

_He was screwed. Totally, completely, and utterly screwed. Not that he cared, not a damned bit. He'd felt this way before, but that was a long time ago, and he didn't think it had ever been this intense. Slowly he rolled on his side, cradling his head in his right hand, so he could look at his lover. Her silky black hair was fanned across her pillow, slightly tangled from earlier, when she had thrashed under him as he buried himself inside her. A slight sheen of perspiration made her golden skin glow in the dim light of the room. His eyes roamed her slender form, tracing the gentle curve of her breasts, traveling down the flat plane of her stomach to the soft patch of hair at the base of her belly. She moaned softly, rolling toward him and his breath hitched at the sight of the rounded scar that marred the perfect skin of her shoulder. It's a wound he had mixed feeling about. A few inches lower and he never would have know Shu. The thing was, if the shot had missed completely, the result could have been the same._

_The first time he saw her was at a first aid station, in the aftermath of the biggest gunfight he'd been in since the Battle of the Bulge. After nearly thirty-six hours of constant fighting, he took a high velocity round that pierced his SHIELD body suit, lodging just above the left kidney. When he drifted back to consciousness two days later, Shu was sitting up in her bed, which was to his left, smiling at him. Her shoulder wound was a through and through, so she was discharged a few days later. Instead of going back to her home, she stayed to help take care of the wounded. Apparently this meant paying special attention to him. The day he was able to eat solid food for the first time since he was wounded, she brought him a meal she'd cooked up herself. While he wolfed it down, she told him how she'd joined a resistance group after some Hydra goons had killed her parents. A group that was lead by Logan. They had conducted hit and run raids for two weeks before SHIELD's attack. Those diversions that had made it possible for Dugan and his men to get in safely. It took another week before he could get out of the hospital. By then he'd already asked her to move in with him. They made love for the first time two days later, and he stayed up most of the night just staring at her as she slept. _

_Even now, nearly three months later, he got so giddy just from looking at her like this that he knew he'd have a tough time getting back to sleep. Although he could think of one thing that could make him drowsy. Instead, he grabbed a cigar and matches from his dresser and slipped into a purple and black embroidered silk robe. Quietly closing the door to their suite, he turned and then stopped. Logan was ten feet away, sitting on the floor of the hallway, his back to the wall. He's wearing a short, black Kimono and had an unlit cigar clenched between his teeth. When he sees the cigar and matches in Dugan's hand he chuckled softly and sprang to his feet. Together they walked to the end of the hall and through a door that lead to the balcony. Dugan lit his stogi, offering the matches to Logan. Wordlessly they puffed away, staring out at the city laid out before them. The high rise hotels glitter in the darkness, and in the distance the smoke of countless cooking fires rises from the slums of Low Town._

"_You got it bad Dugan," Logan grunts after a while, blowing smoke out over the rail of the balcony._

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Coming out here just because Shu doesn't like the smell of cigars."_

"_It's called courtesy Logan. Maybe you should try it sometime. Works wonders with women."_

"_Never really needed it," the other man answered and Dugan believed him. He's seen the effect Logan had on the fairer sex. "So Dugan," he began again after a few seconds, in the same arrogant tone he used to dismiss any need to worry about the niceties, "you want to tell me what your doing?"_

"_I'm standing here trying to enjoy a cigar. Only some asshole keeps trying to talk to me."_

"_You've been seeing her for almost three months now. Time to move on."_

"_Fuck you Logan!" He spat around the cigar. It was a conversation they'd had before, and he was sick of it. "I don't see how this is any of your business." He threw the cigar down and turned to go, but an iron grip on his shoulder stopped him. Dugan whirled around and Logan's hand fell away, but the hard expression on the other man's face told him they weren't done yet. Slowly, Logan bent down and retrieved the stick of smoldering tobacco, his eyes never leaving Dugan's_

"_We either talk here, or I can follow you back and Shu can get an earful to. Your choice."_

"_Just say what you want to say Logan."_

"_Look Dugan, I like Shu. She put up a hell of fight before you and your SHIELD boys got here. You got to respect that."_

"_So," Dugan answered, clearly confused by Logan's words, "you want me to dump her? Well that's not going to happen. I went to the embassy the other day and wrote out an application for a marriage visa."_

_Dugan thought he was prepared for any reaction that Logan might have to his announcement. Only he hadn't counted on laughter being one of them. For one deadly moment he wanted to push the bastard over the railing. He figured the thirty floor drop would have to put a dent in that damned healing thing. But it was the quality of the laughter that stopped him, because what he was hearing wasn't malicious, but closer to hysterical._

"_Mind letting me in on your damned joke," he snarled after Logan had gotten himself under control._

"_There a reason I don't let myself get attached. Thought you'd have figured it out by now"_

"_I just thought it was because you were a heartless bastard, but right now I don't give a shit." This time he tossed the cigar over the railing. He was half way back to his room before Logan called out to him softly, in a voice he could barely hear._

"_Does she know about you Dugan? Does she know what you really are?"_

_Almost against his will, he found himself moving back toward his tormentor. "Of course she knows. I lead the first strike team when we went in. Spent a weak lying next to her on a cot with a bullet in my gut. It's not a problem."_

"_That's not what I'm talking about." For a few seconds Logan looked away. "You really don't get it, do you?"_

"_Sure I do. You don't have the guts to commit to a woman. Hell, you don't want to get attached to anyone. I can understand it, but that's not me."_

_Logan laughed again, a short bark of noise that almost sounded painful. "It should be. Say you marry her, maybe have a few kids. Sounds real nice Dugan. Only you'd better give some thought on what you're going to tell her, when she wakes up some day after twenty years and starts asking why you haven't aged a fucking day."_

_He opens his mouth to answer, then closes it again. There was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and he felt like the worst kind of fool, because he hasn't really given that particular issue any thought at all. The only living relative he has is an aunt who lives on the other side of the country, his parents and sister being long dead. Outside of SHIELD (and really that means Fury and maybe Logan) he doesn't really have friends. Some of the old hands whisper about the fact that Fury and him don't age, but the turnover in the agency is so high it's not an issue. It's been a lonely existence, but he loves the work so much it's never really been a problem for him. Until now._

"_What," Logan's deep voice shakes him out of his woolgathering, "you and Fury think I didn't notice? Known you for almost thirty years, and neither of you fuckers look any older then the day we met."_

"_Neither do you Logan," he practically shouts, and the other man just smiles._

"_And that's why I don't let myself get attached."_

"_I'll tell her," he says finally, his voice cracking. "She loves me. She'll understand."_

"_Yeah. You tell yourself that cause that's what you want to believe. And maybe she will, for a while. But there's no way you can explain it to your kids, or your friends. You don't really want to do this to her, do you?"_

_Dugan doesn't bother to say anything, he just stares blindly into the distance, thinking about Shu. She is a woman he could spend the rest of her life with. She's got beauty, brains, and courage. The whole package. He'd never met a woman like her in his life, and he doubted he'd ever be this lucky again._

"_Better break it off now," Logan says after a few minutes. "The longer you wait, the tougher it's going to be."_

"_Jesus Christ Almighty," he whispers, "how could I be so stupid."_

"_It's not stupid," Logan answers in a voice that Dugan thinks is tinged with sadness. "It's just a luxury you can't afford." Then he squeezes Dugan's shoulder and walks away._

_The next day he meets with Fury and tells him he wants out. No more SHIELD, no more drug, no more immortality. Nick starts out pretending to understand his reasons, but before long they are yelling at each other and Dugan decks his best friend with a well placed upper cut and storms out. He wants to see Shu, but instead he checks into a fleabag motel and whore house in Low Town. It takes Fury exactly one day to find him._

_In a low, flat voice Nick tells him that if he wants out there is nothing he can do to stop it. But he makes it clear that SHIELD won't lift a finger to protect either of them. If he walks, he's on his own. Dugan knows what that means. A lifetime on the run, trying to keep ahead of the countless enemies he has made. While he thinks he could handle it, he doesn't believe he could subject her to that kind of life (or death). Having the children he knows she wants would only make them more vulnerable. Without a word he pushes past Fury. _

_A few hours later he is telling her that it's over, and when she demands to know why he tells her that he's decided to go back to a wife he's never had. No injury he's ever suffered is as painful as the slap across the face that comes after those words. He flies out that night, and doesn't return to SHIELD for three weeks. Fury and him never speak about what happened. In fact, he never mentions Shu to anyone he knows. There is just the small framed picture that he received in the mail from Logan, that he keeps by the bed in his small apartment. In it they are smiling at the camera, holding hands as he sits up on a hospital bed, Shu sitting beside him on a chair. Apart from the photograph, he never sees her again._

"Fuck Dugan," Logan muttered when the other man finished talking, "between Fury and me, it's pretty hard to figure who was the bigger asshole."

"That's an easy one," he answered, chuckling around his cigar. "Now don't get me wrong, cause Nick has his moments, but in my sixty years of knocking heads with the biggest assholes around, you would be number one."

"Gee thanks. So mind tellin me how that is?"

"That you're the biggest?"

"Nope. Get enough women tellin me that, don't need or want you opinion. It's the sixty years thing. I know you ain't a mutant Dugan. How?"

"Same way it's possible for Fury. He found something in Tibet. He was running guns into China, for Chiang Kai-shek. I think it was in 49. Some kind of drug that a cell of monks were taking. They were all hundreds of years old. We tried to analyze it, but no dice. Probably some magic mumbo jumbo. As long as you take it, you don't age. We started in 1950."

"And you were really gonna stop taking it? Just like that? For a woman?"

"Yeah Logan," Dugan sighed, "I really was."

They are quiet for a while, each man staring into space. "So Dugan, you really believe what Fury said?"

"About Mariko and you?" Logan just nodded, waiting for the other man to go on. "I guess I do. I can usually tell if Fury lies to me. Besides, why would he lie about that? But that isn't the question Logan. The real question is, do you believe it?"

"You didn't. Thought it was a damned joke."

"Nope. That was when Nick told me. And I just got done telling you why. You were the one who spelled things out for me. Never thought you'd make that mistake again."

"What do ya mean again?"

"You were a damned hard man to read Logan. Still, I'm pretty sure what you told me that night was something you learned the hard way. Probably never would have listened to you if I wasn't sure of that."

Logan just shook his head and poured himself some more whiskey. When he tried to refill Dugan's glass, the other man said no, that he'd reached his limit. It was then that he realized that the booze was having zero effect on him. Though relieved that his healing factor was one hundred percent again, he was also a little disappointed. He wouldn't have minded getting drunk with this guy. He took a deep breath, and told him of the dreams, or visions, or whatever the hell they were. It takes all of two minutes, but it's a lot longer before Dugan says a thing.

"Nick never said anything about her?" He asks finally, his hand rubbing his chin.

"Nope."

"Then I don't see any way it could be just a dream. I mean, how would you know her name, or that she was Japanese?"

"Maybe. Still, don't seem ta make sense, not from what you told me."

"What do you mean?"

"Like you said, I warned you off of Shu. Then I go and screw up the same way, even though you figured I'd gone through it before. After all that, don't seem like I'd be dumb enough ta fall for a woman, knowin what might happen."

To Logan's surprise, Dugan started to laugh. It first he thought the other man might have waited too long before he stopped drinking. Then the laughter suddenly stopped, and Dugan took a deep breath.

"I don't know," he said in a sad voice, "I figure I'm at least as smart as you are."

Logan just shakes his head and drains the rest of his drink. He looks at the empty bottle, and then at Dugan. "So you didn't learn your lesson either?"

"Nope. I was just as dumb as you. Twice over."

"How long?"

Dugan's head slowly sinks down, to rest on top of his hands. "Twelve years ago. She worked for NSA. She was digging around, wondering how the hell Fury and I were still running SHIELD after all those years. Fury sent me to warn her off, and I took her out for dinner instead. Six months later, I told Fury I was done."

"Did he give ya more shit about it?"

"A little. Tried to talk me out of it for weeks. But I think he felt bad about what happened last time. Or maybe he was just sick of seeing my face most days. Besides, it's not like he really had a choice."

"How's that?"

"Little trick I learned from Nick," he answered with a nasty smile. "It's the same reason he's still calling the shots at SHIELD, when almost every government in the world is run by people who hate his guts. He knows every dirty little secret there is. And I know Nick's"

"So, what's her name?" Logan asks, and right away he wishes he hadn't, because of the look of pain he sees in the other man's eyes.

"It was Sarah. Sarah Hart."

"What happened?"

"Died of cancer, seven years ago."

"Damn. Sorry Dugan."

"Yeah," he said, after swallowing the lump in his throat. "Five best years I ever had."

"But you didn't go back…to SHIELD?"

"Hell no," he answered, leaning back in his chair and lacing his hands behind his head. "Saw Fury at Sarah's funeral. He wanted me back. When I said no, he offered to give me the drug anyway. I told him no thanks."

This surprised Logan. Why would Fury make that offer, and why would Dugan say no? When he said as much the other man straightened up, shaking his head.

"You haven't been listening. When I was with Sarah…I got to know people, made some friends. Still pretty close with her sister. She and her husband have three kids. They're great kids. See them every chance I get. Found out I liked living a normal life. I met another woman about a year ago. She travels a lot, but we make some time for each other to."

Logan just nodded, looking at the empty bottle, wondering how he could ask the question that was on his mind without sounding like a jerk. Dugan followed his gaze and chuckled. He got up and walked through the door, coming back with a fresh bottle.

"Don't know why you like the booze so much Logan," he said, after refilling the other man's glass. "Seeing how you can't get drunk."

"Like the taste," Logan answered after swallowing half his drink. "I don't get you Dugan. Most people…hell almost anyone would kill for what you had. You want ta die?"

"No Logan, I wanted to live. That's not what I was doing. Cut myself off from everyone, cause I couldn't figure out how to make living forever and knowing people work." Dugan reached for the bottle and poured himself half a drink. He cradled it in his hands for a while then gulped it down quickly, slamming the glass on the table. "I think that was your deal to."

"What are you talking about?"

"Fury had you investigated, more then once."

"Why?" He barked, starting to rise from his chair, before Dugan's voice stopped him.

"Just sit down damn it! It's a long fucking story Logan, one I'm not going to go into now. I've got files that you can have, and something else I think you'll want. But right now I just want you to listen."

"Ok, start talkin."

"You were a damned ghost Logan." Dugan sat back on the chair, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he stood up, and started pacing back and forth. "You didn't make friends as far as we could tell. Never stayed with a woman more then a few months, never settled in one place long enough for you to stick in someone's mind. Where ever you were, you never left a mark. Never found any family to speak of, either past or present. Not that any of that was much of a surprise to me."

"Why?" Logan asked, in a cold dead voice.

"All those years of knowing you Logan. Working ops together, gathering intel, fighting for our lives during the war. Even sharing the occasional beer. The only time you ever told me anything personal was that night in Madripoor. Never talked about your family, your girl, where you were born, or even what the hell you liked to do when you weren't working. For a while I thought that maybe you just didn't trust me. Not a real surprise, considering some of the shit we did. Wasn't until after you dropped off the face of the earth that I figured it out. You never told me anything personal, because there never was anything to tell."

"Fuck you Dugan," he snarled, angry at what he'd heard, even though he wasn't sure why. "How the hell would you know?!"

Most people would have at least flinched at that tone of voice, if not his words. Dugan just smiled. "Maybe you're right Logan. Only thing is, seeing that you don't remember, you don't know either. When it comes to the old you, I'm the expert here."

"Is that so," Logan shot back, still trying to get his head around what he'd just heard. He didn't know what bothered him more, Dugan's contention that the man he'd know as Logan had been a misanthrope who shunned most human contact, or his suspicion that it was true. After all, he'd spent most is his remembered life doing exactly the same thing, avoiding any kind of long term contact with people, constantly moving from place to place. "I think yer full of shit Dugan. Don't sound like I was any different now then I was then."

"Really. How long have you been at Xavier's?"

"How did…" he started then closed his mouth. Once a spy. "About five months. Took a break, went to Canada to check some leads. Been back maybe three months now."

"There you go. First off, you wouldn't ever spend that kind of time in a place like that. Then, there's the fact that you came back. Never would have happened in the past. Then there's this, whatever the hell it is we're doing."

"It's called talkin Dugan. Pretty damned sure I talked ta people."

"Not like this. Not about what we're talking about. You never would have…before."

"Whatever you say," Logan heard himself speak his mind racing. "The stuff you said about checking up on me. You got files?" The other man nodded. "Then I want em."

"Not a problem. Just going to take a few days to get my hands on it." He dropped the stub of cigar on the floor, crushing it out. "I should go. Have to be in D.C. tomorrow." Dugan took out his wallet. Pulling out a card, he wrote a number on the back and handed it to Logan. It said "Hart Security Consulting" with some phone numbers, but no name.

"What the hell is this Dugan?"

"It's what I do Logan," he chuckled, flashing a grin, which quickly changed to a frown. "It was Sarah's idea. Just never got around to changing the name. People throw money at me, and I tell them how stupid they are."

"Then why the bar?"

"Just for the hell of it. When I was a kid, I always wanted to own one. My old man was a bartender, but he never could save enough money." Dugan stuck out his hand, and after a brief moment Logan took it. "See what I mean Logan. You're a different man."

"Why, because I'm shaking yer hand?"

"Yeah. You hated stuff like that. Never wanted anyone touching you."

Still don't like it, he thought, and in that moment he decided that what Dugan had told him pretty much had to be true. He'd hadn't smelled a lie on him once, so at least he believed the stuff he was saying. But rather then say anything, he just nodded.

"Damned glad to see you again Logan," Dugan said with a smile.

After he'd left, Logan sat down at the table and poured himself another drink. He picked up the paring knife and turned over in his hands, then he drew the sharp edge across the palm of his left hand. A thin line of crimson appeared, and almost before he could blink, his skin was perfect again, with only a tiny smear of blood to show that there was ever any damage. He took the dish towel and wiped it away. Knife, gun, or bomb, it didn't matter. None of the wounds were permanent, nothing could ever leave a mark on him that ever showed, at least on the outside.

Until a few months ago, he would have sworn that the same thing was true concerning the inner man. What Kurt would call his soul. Until he'd run into Marie and settled himself into life at Xavier's mutant zoo, he'd done everything he could to make sure that it stayed that way. It wasn't Stryker he was running from, not if what he'd just heard from Dugan was true. He was just doing what he was used to, what he'd always done. Don't get involved, don't let anyone inside, where they could mark you with wounds that never heal. Apparently from what Dugan said, he'd been living that way for a hell of a long time. So long that even having his memories taken hadn't been enough to counteract the habits of a life time.

He'd always thought that it was instinct, the urge he'd felt to keep on moving, to keep away from human contact. Of course when you do something for so long, that's what it becomes. You know without thinking when it's time to go, like there's a clock in your head that counts down the days that you can stay in one place. When the bell rings you hit that road, because that's what you do. Only, at least once in the past he didn't hear it ring. Somehow, Mariko made him throw instinct out the window. And now it had happened again. He woke up every day thinking about reasons to leave the school. Something he'd never had to do before, because he'd never needed them.

He picked up the glass, gulping down the rest of his drink. Then he was out the door and headed into the parking lot. The rumble of the bike under him was comforting. He loved the feel of the wind in his face, the feeling of freedom it gave him as he hurled down an open road at insane speeds. Toeing the kickstand up, he let the bike roll to the edge of the gravel lot. He had a choice to make, one that he'd thought about a lot in the last few days. If he turned right he could be in Toronto in six hours. There was a place just on the edge of the suburbs, that served cheap drinks and didn't water the booze. If he walked in, he could find a good looking woman to fuck in less then ten minutes, no strings attached. He'd been thinking about places like that a lot lately. Now it didn't seem like much of a choice at all. It was easy to run when you didn't really know what you were running from. He opened the throttle and his back tire kicked up a spray of rocks and dirt. As the bike jumped forward he steered to the left. Home was less then an hour away.

**A/N: I know it's been a while. Sorry for the delay. Any reviews are highly appricated. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.**


	34. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

**A/N: Finally I'm back. Sorry for the incredibly long delay, but I'm excited to finish this story and continue with the adventures of Logan and the X-men. I have also posted revised chapters (chapters one and two) and I very highly recommend that you at least read Chapter 2 before looking at this one. I wouldn't make any promises, but I will finish this story sooner, rather then later. Please drop me a line and let me know what you think.**

It was nearly midnight when he got back to the mansion. He rolled through the gate after punching his code out on the key pad and a few minutes later he was in the kitchen, trying to find something that he was interested in eating. He decided on a sandwich, roast beef and cheddar. He made two. He was just about to dig into the second one when he caught Summers' scent. For a moment he thought it might be just a whiff from the air that was circulating through the mansion, but then it got stronger and he heard footsteps approaching. Only it wasn't Summers' usual stride, more like the shuffling gait of an old man. He took another bite out of his sandwich and waited. When the kitchen door swung open he was surprised twice. First of all, Summers was leaning against a cane. Then there was the six pack of beer (and not some piss water American brand, it was Molson) clutched in his free hand.

"Damn," Logan swore softly, "what happened to you?"

"I think I got shot." Summers answered with a shrug, lifting the cane up and waving it from side to side, like a golf club. "At least that's what Hank says. I don't really remember."

"I ain't talkin about your leg one eye. What the hell happened to your crap taste in beer?"

Summers just shook his head, but Logan was pretty sure that his lips twitched. Just for a second. "That's exactly what Marie told me," he said finally, as if that explained everything.

"Marie?"

"That's right," he responded, smiling this time. "She told me the beer I usually drink is crap."

And Scott goes on to explain how he checked with her to see what kind of beer Logan liked, and how big a mistake that had been. Because while Xavier had blocked out some of Logan's more embarrassing memories (like those identical twins he's spent a night with in Kansas City), she still knows exactly what Logan thinks about the beer that Scott drinks and went on to spent the next ten minutes telling him. What Scott doesn't seem to notice was the sour expression on Logan's face as he hears this. What is Summers playing at he thinks, and when did he start calling her Marie?

But he doesn't say what's on his mind. Not now. "About time someone set you straight."

"Yeah," Scott said, dropping awkwardly into the chair on the other side of the table. Then he slides two bottles across the polished surface to Logan.

"Don't you want one?"

"Can't. Hank's got me on pain killers."

"You're loss." He cracked one open and downed half of it in one go. "So what did it take Summers?"

"What? You mean to get me out of SHIELD custody? Nothing."

"He just let you go? Without asking askin Chuck for a damned thing?" Logan put the beer down, his hand going to the back of his neck, massaging tense flesh. "Why don't you tell me why the he would do that."

"Fury already has all the leverage he needs. I'm just the messenger."

"Messenger huh. So what's the bad news?"

"Somehow SHIELD hacked Stryker's security system. He knows everything that happened at Alkali Lake."

Logan grunted an expletive, running a hand through his hair. "He knows about Chuck and Cerebro?"

"Everything. Fury gave me a copy of the file. I spent most of the day reviewing it after I got back."

"Son of a bitch! What's Chuck thinkin about this?"

"I haven't told him yet."

"Jesus Cyke, why the hell not?"

"Because," the younger man answered, after raising his head to look directly into Logan's eyes, "I wanted to talk to you first."

Logan stood up slowly, looking down at Scott, confusion clearly written on his face. "Are you nuts? Why would ya do that? If they fucking know what happened they're gonna come for us. Xavier's got ta be told."

"No one knows about this Logan. No one but Fury, and for now you and me. But he made it clear that he would hand that file over to the Feds unless we agreed to do something that the Professor isn't going to like. Logan, I need to know if you're going to back me on this."

The other mutant did say anything at first. He just stared at Scott, as if trying to decide something. "What does he want?" He finally asked after nodding.

"He wants us to get rid of Cerebro."

"Yeah," Logan sneered, "ain't a hell of a big surprise, is it."

"It will be to the Professor. I'm not sure how he's going to take it."

"Yeah," Logan said softly. Then he downed the rest of the beer, putting the other bottle in the refrigerator and throwing his half eaten sandwich in the garbage. "How's that leg of yours?"

"It's not too bad," Scott answered, puzzled at the sudden change of subject. "Hank said it will be fine in a week or so, that it was just a flesh wound. I can get around just fine until then."

"Good. Let's do for a drive."

"Damn it Logan we've got to…"

"Not here Summers. Come on, let's go."

There was a bar at the at the southern edge of Salem Center. Logan didn't spend much time there. It was too close to the school, and it had a dance floor, but it was the closest one that served decent food. By the time they pulled into the parking lot only a few cars were left. Once inside, they took a booth in back and Logan ordered a stack of onion rings and three shots of Jack. Scott had almost laughed at the absurdity of what they were doing. Even if the bar they were sitting in was half way to Canada, it wouldn't be far enough to protect them from the Professor's power. When he told Logan this after they were seated, the other man just shook his head.

"Ain't about Chuck readin our minds. If he's gonna be doin that we ain't got a chance any way. It's about us projecting what we're thinkin about."

Now that did make sense. Only… "How do you know about…"

"Jeanne told me once that I project what's on my mind a lot. Said most times she didn't even have ta use her mental thingy ta pick up on what I was thinkin. Especially when I was around her. Course, I don't think she liked what was on my mind. Least ways that's what she said."

"Thanks for telling me that Logan."

"Anytime." The waitress arrived with Logan's food. After he wolfed down a few onion rings, he leaned back, staring at the man across from him. "Tell me what that fucker said to ya."

Logan didn't say anything as Scott recounted the conversation he'd had with Fury. Until he got to the part where the head of SHIELD referred to Xavier's school as an asset. Something changed in Logan's expression, something that wasn't pleasant to see. But it was the low, rumbling, growl that emanated from deep in his chest that had the hairs on the back of Scott's neck standing up.

"That's another thing I owe him for. Me and Nicky are gonna have us a little talk."

"Fine," Scott answered in a tired voice. "But right now, why don't you and I have one. Unless you dragged me here just so I could watch you eat."

"What if Chuck says no?"

"What? You mean about Cerebro?"

"Yeah. What are you gonna do?"

Scott slumped down in the booth. "How can he?" He hissed, clenching his hands together. "I don't see how he has any choice."

"Don't know. I ain't the mind reader. But you must think he might. Otherwise we wouldn't be talkin about it. So I'll ask ya again. What if Xavier won't go along?"

"He's smart enough to know he has to do this."

"Wrong answer bub," Logan sneered. "You know Chuck better then that. He's a man on a mission. That's why yer thinkin he ain't gonna be reasonable about this."

Scott hunched forward and buried his face in his hands. "What do you want me to say Logan? I owe that man everything."

"Don't give a crap about anything you gotta say. I just want ta know that you got the balls ta go against Chuck if he says no."

"Are you out of your fucking mind! I am not going to fight the Professor…"

"No shit Sherlock. Like we'd have a chance in hell anyway," he answered carefully, knowing that's what Summer had to hear.

He really didn't think things would go that far. The problem was, he couldn't be sure. Xavier would see this as a threat to his great crusade. That might make him desperate enough to forget all those promises about not screwing with other peoples minds. The real question was, what the hell could he do about it. He had an idea, but it didn't really make him feel too good.

"Then what are you talking about?" Summers blurted out, clearly uncomfortable with the long silence.

Logan grimaced at the high pitched tone of the other man's voice. "What I'm askin is if Xavier won't agree ta what Fury wants, are you willing to walk away?"

"From the school?"

"If that's what it takes. Chuck can't rebuild Cerebro on his own. He needs your help."

"No Logan, not mine. All he really needs is Hank."

"I'm thinkin if you walk, Hank probably will too. Least ways he'd think twice about helpin Xavier put Humpty Dumpty back together again."

Scott didn't answer right away, he just stared off into space, his hands sliding over the sides of his goggles. "I think you're right about Hank," he answered finally, sounding a little calmer.

"How about Ro?"

"I'm not sure. She loves and respects Charles…hell we all do. But her heart's never really been in the X-Men. It's the school and the students she really cares about."

"There ain't gonna be a school if Chuck don't fall into line."

"Do you really think Fury would do it?"

"Don't see how he'd have any choice." He stopped to pick up a shot and slam it down, relishing the burn that slid down his throat to warm his gut. "Think about it Summers. To Fury, Cerebro is a weapon, one that almost took out most of the people on this fucking planet. Even if he trusted Chuck like his own brother, there's no way he lets him keep it."

"Then I don't see what walking away from the school gets us. Fury told me I had to get the Professor to agree to give up Cerebro. If Charles won't do that, what good does it do for us to leave?"

"It gives Fury an excuse to take things slow, handle it himself," Logan grunted, rubbing the knuckles of his right hand. "And it gives us time ta figure out what ta do." And it gives me an idea of what's happening inside your head, he thought. He took his last shot and started to say something else, but Scott raised his hand to cut him off.

"I think we've said enough for tonight."

"What do ya mean."

"I just…I know we have to talk about this, but I feel like I'm betraying him."

"You're just bein smart Summers."

"Maybe," Scott answered in a sad voice, "but that's not how it feels to me."

"Look, I get that you feel like you owe him…"

"Owe him?" Scott interrupted in a disbelieving voice. "We're family Logan, the only family I ever really had. You don't owe your family." Scott looked down at the table, the fingers of one hand making little circles across the rough wooden surface. "I know we have to talk about this, but I don't have any doubt that Charles will do the right thing here. Whatever else we need to say, I'd rather wait and say it to him."

"You do this however ya want bub. Just so I know that you won't fold if Chuck digs in his heels."

Scott ran a hand across his face, grimacing. "Alright damn it, I'm in."

Logan just nodded and slapped some money on the table to cover his bill. The ride back was quiet. He'd thought he had things figured pretty good, but he wasn't so sure anymore about a lot of stuff. Summer's rant about family made him wonder how he could ever really fit into that. Hell, he doesn't even know what a family is supposed to be. He's pretty damn sure he had parents, maybe even siblings; but that life was lost to him. He's not quite sure where he fits in when it comes to the mutant clan Chuck has gathered around. One things' for damn sure though. He doesn't feel the same way about the Professor that Summers, or even Ro and Hank do.

Sure, he thinks Chuck is doing a good thing here, but that doesn't mean he trusts him, not like the others do. He's willing to listen to Xavier, he's even willing to do what the guy wants, up to a point. To the others, Xavier is the father they never had, or at least a substitute for the shitty excuse for one that kicked them to the curb when he found out they were freaks. Summers, Hank, and Ororo have been doing what he says for so long that to them it's natural. For them, asking questions when it came to Chuck wasn't easy. Actually telling the old man no? Logan wasn't sure how that would go. Summers had talked a good game just now, and Logan knew that some of the things the old man had kept from him pissed the kid off. But whatever Scott said, he still didn't know how the guy would react if Chuck wouldn't go along. The thing of it was, he didn't really have a clue what he would do either. All he knew for sure was that if Xavier wasn't going to listen to Summers, he sure as hell wouldn't care what he had to say. He turned the car up the road that lead to the gate, pulling to a stop when he got near it.

"Can ya make it up the drive on yer own?"

"Sure," Scott answered, sounding confused. "Why?"

"I'm not gonna be staying there tonight."

"Damn you Logan, I want the whole team in Charles' office tomorrow, telling him what he needs to hear!"

"Relax Summers, I'll be there."

"They why…"

"Like I told ya, I project. It's better if Xavier doesn't know. That means no tellin Hank or Ro either."

"This sucks Logan. We're a family. We shouldn't keeps secrets from each other"

"Then why didn't you talk ta Chuck when he picked you up?"

"I guess," he said, then hesitated, blowing out his breath in a gust, "that I wanted to see what you thought."

"No." Logan countered, "it's because you know Chuck. And you know how important Cerebro is to him."

"How did you…"

"I ain't stupid Cyke. You do what you want. But I'm tellin ya the best way is ta wait and say it all at once. Just make sure you're ready to tell him you'll be leavin if he don't agree."

Scott didn't say anything. He just got out of the car and limped around it until he was standing by the driver's side window. Logan rolled it down and the other man leaned in until their faces were inches apart.

"We're a family Logan. Are you going to be a part of it?"

"I'm stickin around Cyke. I ain't goin no where."

He hit the tab that made the window go up, chuckling a little when Summers had to jump back and laughing harder when the other man flipped him off. Then he turned the car around and drove off, taking roads that would lead him back to the city.

Scott watched him go, wondering what Logan was really up to. After the lights of the car faded into the night, he began the long walk up the drive. He didn't think he'd be sleeping tonight. The situation had him too keyed up, and he knew from experience that in his sleep he sometimes projected his thoughts. Scott chuckled, remembering the time he'd dreamed about Betsy giving him head. Jean was not amused to be on the receiving end of those images. He stopped to swallow the lump in his throat, remembering how beautiful she was when she got angry, even if it was at him.

Once he got into the mansion he made himself a pot of coffee, and took the elevator down to operations. He had left the file he'd gotten from Fury locked in his desk. Along with pictures and more then one hundred pages of printed material, there were several DVDs included. These were copies of all of the live feeds from the numerous security cameras that Stryker had placed throughout his base.

He'd only managed to work though one, and he placed it in the drive of his computer. There was a file he wanted to copy. The one taken from a camera that was actually inside the replica of Cerebro that Stryker had built. The footage showed Charles with his head piece on, with Jason Stryker by his side. Maybe this was playing dirty, but Scott felt this was something Charles needed to see. He transferred the footage to his flash drive. Then he swapped DVDs and started sorting through the video files that he hadn't had time to look at.

It was stupid really, but he couldn't help himself from wanting to know everything he could about what happened at Alkali Lake. His excuse was that they had screwed so many things up that day, and as leader of the X-men he needed to learn from those mistakes. But he knew that it was really all about guilt. And his failure. His failure to protect the Professor from Stryker. His failure to fight the insidious substance they used on him. All those things led up to the ultimate failure of losing Jean. He'd never really come to terms with what happened that day. Never talked to anyone about it, never wrote the detailed report that he did for every other mission. At the time it was too painful to think about. Now he wanted answers.

The footage was sorted by location, but that didn't help him much, since he'd been little more then a mindless zombie most of the time. He did find video of Mystique fighting with Stryker's men and hacking into his system from the control room. He even found a brief clip that showed him blasting Jean. It only lasted a few seconds. The shock wave from the impact of his attack against her telekinetic shield had wiped out the camera. For a while he just sat there, playing the video over and over, hand clenched painfully around the computer mouse, until he felt it crack. He found a new one in Hanks desk, plugged it in and copied that file to his flash drive, but he didn't look at it again. Instead, he clicked on a file labeled processing.

It was a large enclosed space, with pieces of machinery and old truck parts scattered about in a haphazard manner. As he watched, two vehicles drove into view, delivery trucks with no identifying insignia. The rear doors were rolled up, students stumbling out on to the bare concrete, blinking in the harsh glare. One of the last was Jubilee, her right arm wrapped around the waist of another girl. It was Jenny Munioz, a fourteen year old who could store and discharge static electricity. He sighed with regret. She was one of six students who had withdrawn from Xavier's after the Stryker debacle. Her and the other departing kids had parents that still wanted them, and had been horrified at the attack on the school. Scott, wrapped up in his own grief over Jean, had never even had the chance to say goodbye.

The kids milled around in a tight group, faces crimped in fear, with older ones pushing the smallest and weakest behind them. Six men, dressed in camo style khakis and black short sleeve shirts cradling assault rifles stood in a loose circle around them. Two other guys with white lab coats and clipboards scribbled away furiously, taking an occasional picture. One of the white coats said something, pointing at one of the trucks, but there was no audio for Scott to listen to. Three of the guards scrambled into it, dragging out two limp forms.

Scott paused the video, zooming in so he could see who they were. Syrin and Danni Moonstar, both fifteen and in their second year at Xavier's. When he started the recording again, he noticed that the tight knot of mutant kids was slowly moving toward Danni and Syrin. Soon, the two unconscious girls were inside the circle of their friends, with Jubilee standing right by them. Everything seemed to calm down, the guards just stood there, talking to each other while fourteen mutant kids stood leaning against each other, shivering in the clothes they had worn to bed only a few hours ago. Scott was just thinking that he should move on to another video feed, when the scientists abruptly left, after saying something to the guards.

Four of the men began to herd the students away from the camera, separating them from the unconscious girls, while the other two sauntered over to stand by them. One said something and the other laughed. Scott didn't like the expression on their faces. The laughing man crouched down by Syrin, but instead of lifting her up, he ran a hand across her chest flashing a cruel smile. Scott wanted to vomit as he watched that hand slip under the girl's nightshirt. His crony was smiling and nodding his head. Then he knelt next to Danni, and shoved his hand up under her baggy shorts.

Scott sat in his chair, shocked at what he was seeing, but unable to look away. He wanted to grab those bastards by the throat and ask then how they could do this? How they could treat two beautiful, innocent girls like they were pieces of meat? Then he wanted to watch them die. Fuck Xavier's dream, he screamed inside his head. To people like those two mutants weren't human. To them we're just objects, things that didn't deserve the basic decency that they accorded to a dog or cat.

Suddenly a figure darted into view of the camera and he could see that it was Jubilee. Another guard came on screen trying to grab her as she screamed soundlessly at the two men who were molesting her friends. The guard who was grouping Danni jumped up, striking Jubilee across the face. She tried to back away, still yelling at him, but the man behind her grabbed her arms, trapping her between them. Her attacker backhanded her twice and then the guard holding her threw her to the ground. The third man left Syrin and came to stand by the others.

Jubilee scrambled to her feet and backed away, trying to put herself close to the her friends. One of the men said something gesturing at the unconscious young mutants, and the other two laughed, nodding their heads. A look of pure loathing flashed across her face and then it was gone, her expression suddenly devoid of emotion. She bowed her head, her eyes focused on the concrete floor and started to speak. He looked at her tormentors and the way they were staring at her made him want to kill them with his bare hands, because he abruptly realized what she was telling them. When Jubilee stopped speaking and looked up, the mask she was wearing cracked. He eyes grew wide at the naked lust on their faces and she started to blink rapidly. For a brief moment she turned away, bringing her right arm up to dash the back of her hand over her eyes. When it fell to her side again her features were wooden, but she was still blinking.

When the three of them moved toward her she didn't flinch, standing stiffly as they surrounded her. Two of them began to paw at her body roughly, grabbing at her breasts and thighs. The third man pulled his belt off and used it to tie her hands behind her back. Then he started to slap her face in a casual manner, only stopping when a trickle of blood was running down her chin. He said something to the other two and they cackled, then he grabbed her slender shoulders and roughly pushed her to her knees. Scott's eyes burned and the screen seemed to blur. When a pair of hands started to tear her shirt off, his finger stabbed at the mouse button and the screen went blank. He squeezed his eyes shut but the tears continued to leak out, collecting along the bottom of his goggles. He opened his eyes, staring straight ahead through the watery red lenses, seeing nothing.

Logan was twenty miles from the school before he turned off into a rest area. As he braked to a stop he glanced at the dashboard clock and grimaced. Dugan wasn't going to appreciate a call at nearly two o'clock in the morning. He thought about waiting until later, but decided he couldn't take the chance. He was on a tight schedule as it was, and Dugan was going to be traveling in a few hours. Something about a trip to DC. It had to be now. He fished Dugan's card out of his pocket and dialed the number. A rough, sleep slurred voice answered on the forth ring. Only, it wasn't Dugan's.

"Need ta talk ta Dugan," he said, after he recovered from the surprise.

"Who is this?" Came a haughty, feminine reply. Too late he remembered something the other man had said about a new girl friend.

"Someone who wants ta talk ta Dugan," he snapped, irritated with himself.

"Does someone have a name?"

"Tell him it's Logan," he growled, his irritation fixing itself on her. There was no reply, only muffled conversation even he couldn't make out. Then Dugan was on the line, barking at him.

"What the hell do you want now?"

"I gotta talk ta Fury."

"Damn it Logan, this couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"You think I'd be callin ya if it could?"

"I thought you were pissed at him," Dugan barked, "told me you didn't want to see him."

"Changed my mind. He owes me and I'm gonna give him a chance to settle."

"Logan," Dugan answered in a warning tone of voice, "I might not be as close to him as I was, but I'm not going to…"

"Relax," the other man interrupted, "I just want ta jaw with him." After several seconds of silence he went on. "Alright. I really would like ta strangle the son of a bitch, but I won't. Least ways not over the phone."

Dugan grunted and gave him the number. "He might not talk to you. The only person he would expect to call him on this number is me."

"I'll take care of it. Thanks Dugan."

"Don't do anything stupid. And Logan…you wake me up again like this and I'll shoot your balls off."

Logan slid the phone into a shirt pocket, grimacing at that image. They'd grow back, but it would hurt like hell. He started the car up and got back on the highway, making sure to keep close to the speed limit. He really didn't want to be pulled over by a cop right now. The road was all but deserted at this time of night except for the truckers, so it wasn't a problem for him to keep one eye on the billboards as they flashed by. It was maybe fifteen minutes when he found what he was looking for, in the garish advertisement for a truck stop at the next exit. He took it and a few minutes later he had pulled into the lot, parking in the darkest corner he could find. There were over fifty semi trucks scattered across the parking lot.

Once inside, he bought a cup of coffee and then made his way to the store at the other end of the building. the one that claimed to sell 'authentic western gear.' The lady at the countered looked bored, but when she saw him she broke into a big grin. He wanted to know if she had what he was looking for, and she answered that their selection was excellent. She asked if he knew what his size was. He really wasn't sure, so she measured him, her hands trembling slightly as she checked his dimensions with her tape measure. He asked her to write the number on a piece of paper, and stuffed it into his pocket. She then had him describe what he was looking for, and went to pull six boxes off the shelves after he did. They were all beautiful, but it wasn't hard for him to make his choice. The third box she opened was just what he wanted, and the fit was perfect. He paid with cash and threw in a fifty dollar tip, shaking his head with a smile when she asked for his phone number. There was a convenience store at the other end of the building. He bought two pre-paid cell phones there and took everything back to his car. Then he unwrapped one of the phones he'd just purchased and dialed the number Dugan had given him.

The phone rang for half a minute before the man he needed to talk to answered. "What the hell is going on Dugan?"

"Guess again."

"How did you get this number?"

"Dugan gave it to me," Logan answered softly. "We had a long talk earlier. Told me a lot of stuff."

"Logan," Fury hissed, trying to control his anger, "If you did anything to him, I'll…"

"Dugan's fine. I got nuthin against him. In fact, he helped me out. That's a hell of a lot more then I can say for you."

"Damn it Logan, a SHIELD agent was killed. We had to detain Summers until we knew…"

"This ain't about Summers," he barked, trying to stifle his anger. "You knew about Hydra Fury. You set me up for your op and got three kids got killed."

"You think I'm happy about that?" The other man shouted back. "Of course we knew that Hydra was looking for them. That's why I brought you in! To find them first."

"You fucking lied ta me," he answered, ignoring everything Fury had told him. Three kids dead, Pete and Ellie injured. God, he wanted to slit his throat.

"I did what I had to do Logan."

"I'll remember that, when I'm shoving a claw through yer eye."

"I thought you didn't do…"

"Shut yer trap and listen," he said slowly, hating what he was about to do. "I need some thing from you Fury. It's the only reason I'm talkin to you. You give me what I want and we're square."

"And if I don't?"

"Do ya even have ta ask?"

"Tell me."

Logan described exactly what he wanted, pulling out the piece of paper so that he was certain Fury knew that exact size as well as the material that he needed the device to be made of. The other man said nothing until he was finished, then he started to laugh.

"Don't see why you think it's funny," Logan growled.

"So you don't trust Xavier either."

"I trust him a hell of a lot more then you Fury. Let's just say that I don't like the idea that anyone can look inside my head when ever they damned well please."

"You didn't have to threaten me to get this," Fury answered with a chuckle. "All you had to do was ask."

"Yeah. Only I was kinda hopin you'd say no."

"It'll take about a week. I have to call some eggheads in."

"A week?"

"It's not like we have this stuff lying around," Fury grunted in reply. "Especially in the shape you want. Hell, even Donald's headgear was a custom job."

"Just make sure it doesn't take any longer."

"You know, if Xavier really wanted to get through, this won't stop him."

"That's my fucking problem Fury, so let me worry about it. Just cause you reckon you got somethin over on us don't mean I give a shit about what you think."

"Summers told you."

"Yeah he did."

"So what did the old man say?"

"Nothin. Summers didn't tell him yet."

"What? Why the hell not?"

"You just keep out of our business Fury?"

"Damn it Logan, I can't just ignore what happened at Alkali Lake."

"That ain't what this is about Fury, and you know it. I got no problem with shutting down Chuck's mind machine. What I do got a problem with is you tellin Summers that the school is an asset."

"You should be damned glad it is Logan," the other man snapped. "That's the only reason it's still standing."

"So what's your deal?" Logan demanded, with a snarl. "Don't think runnin a school is your style Fury. It would be a hell of a lot easier just to cream off some of the more powerful mutations, and leave the rest with Chuck."

"Isn't that what Xavier is doing right now?" Fury responded. "Relax. I'm not interested in recruiting kids. When they turn eighteen, that's a different story. If they want to try something different when Xavier is finished with them, SHIELD has a lot to offer."

"Like what? Chuck's working for mutants, tryin ta protect em from assholes like you. Don't see how you can compete with that."

"You'd be surprised Logan. One thing you never did learn, money talks. Just ask Ms. Ricci."

"What the fuck did you do to her?"

"Offered her a job. I gotta tell you, she likes the idea of kicking Hydra ass. I'm sure the money didn't hurt either."

"What are you playin at? Ellie don't know a damned thing about the kind of business your in. Sides, money don't spend too well when yer dead."

"It not a game Logan," Fury sneered. "Hydra's looking for mutants, we know that. I'm sure you got a pretty good idea how that works out for the ones they catch, even with your screwed up memory. We give them a better deal."

"Bullshit. She's just a kid damn it. It ain't her war. I want ta see her Fury. Wanna make sure the kid knows what she's getting into."

"That's up to her."

"You just make sure it happens."

"When are you going to talk to Xavier?"

"None of your business."

"I need an answer Logan."

"You'll get one when we got it. Just make sure you set up that meeting with Ellie. The rest of it is none of your damned business," he snarled, breaking the connection.

He stalked back into the parking lot, and tossed the phone on the ground, crushing it under his boot. Within minutes he was on the road again. The first chance he got he pulled off the interstate, taking a two lane county road that steered him back toward Xavier's. About ten miles from the school, he turned off into a county park, pulling into a small lot that was used by hikers.

Taking the box from the backseat, he cracked it open and let out a low whistle. Inside was a black felt Stetson, with a wide brim and a four inch crown. He carefully ran his fingers over the soft material. He'd always wanted a hat like his. And now he had a reason to buy one. The hat would be pretty damned useful once Fury sent him what he wanted. Fury. Any way you looked at it, the bastard had hosed them. Right now he had his boot on their throat and there wasn't a thing they could do about it. Not now. Logan took the hat and placed on his head. It was a perfect fit. He pulled the brim down over his head and closed his eyes. He didn't care what it took, he was going to find a way to turn the tables on that son of a bitch.

Don't forget to review. Please.


	35. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

He'd woke up cold and tired, which wasn't really anything new, just not what he was used to lately. A quick glance at the clock on the dashboard of the vehicle that had been his bed told him he had some time to kill, so he got out of the car and did some yoga stretches to loosen the stiffness that was the usual result of sleeping in the front seat of a car. Then he followed the scent of water to an old fashioned one-handle pump at the head of the hiking trail that lead out of the parking lot. The gush of cold water pouring over his head completed the waking process, and there was even time to enjoy a cigar before he left. The peaceful woods that surrounded him and the sweetly bitter smoke he pulled into his lungs did little to calm the edge he felt.

In a little under an hour, he was going to do something that he could have never imagined just a few short months ago. Assume a measure of responsibility for what happened to the mutant community known as Xavier's School for Gifted Students. The idea is so ludicrous that he wanted to laugh, but he was sure if he gave in to that impulse, he'd end up puking instead, because he was pretty much scared shitless of what he was doing. Logan thinks it's been six months since he let a frightened, under feed teenaged mutant hitch a ride with him. He probably would have told the kid to go to hell if he'd known then that this would be the result. But he's damned glad that he didn't. Marie was the first real connection he'd had with another person that didn't involve sex or violence that he could really remember. Without her, none of this happens. But he still thinks it's worth it. Because of her, he got to know Chuck, Jean, and then Marie's friends and finally Janet. While a part of him would like to, he isn't going to turn his back on them. They're his family now, whether he wanted one or not.

The drive was a short one, and he really didn't want to think so much about what he was going to do, so he thought about Janet instead. That didn't really help much. She was as much terra incognita as anything he was going to do for Xavier. This little dance between them had been going on for about six weeks now, and he still wasn't sure what was going on. He was in over his head with her and that wasn't anything he was used to, especially when it came to a woman he wanted. Things had never been this complicated for him before, but he never really cared this much either, and that was a tough thing for him to admit. He had a little crow to eat there, considering they way he'd acted yesterday after watching Hank's little home movie. He knew they were only trying to help, but Logan just wasn't prepared for the truth of what he had thought (hoped?) were dreams. He should have known better, should have watched the damned thing on his own. He growled softly at the memory of how he'd treated her. She'd tried to block him from leaving and he'd barked at her to get out of his way. Janet hadn't understood since he'd said it in Japanese, but the tone of his voice made it clear that his intent was hardly friendly. What was he going to do about her? He'd made a decision to stick with the X-men, but he didn't know if could do the same thing with her.

The whole distraction thing ended up working better then he thought it would, because Logan didn't notice anything until he'd rolled past the gate. Of course it was the smell that really clued him in, the tart scent of freshly cut wood. He stopped the car and scanned his surroundings. Something was different, but it took him longer then it should have to mark it. To his left he could just make out the top of the forest that peaked up over the lip of a low ridge line. Only thing was it was different. There was a huge open space in what had been the unbroken line of trees. Leaving the car he jogged up the ridge to get a better view. To the right the road continued on to the school, clearly visible maybe half a mile away. He couldn't see any damage, or any others sign that anything was wrong. Some of the younger kids were even outside paying soccer. Then there was the gaping hole in the tree line that ran near to the west side of the mansion. These were mature trees, probably well over a hundred years old, some of them over a hundred feet tall. Something had smashed them to pulp, scattering the debris across the meadow and into the woods. Even weirder, someone or something had plowed a trench through the grassy field that lead directly to the mutilated portion of the forest.

What the hell had happened, and why hadn't Chuck bothered to call him? Probably because you left your fucking cell phone in your bedroom asshole. He still had a prepaid cell, so he pulled out and dialed Xavier's number, but there was no answer. After trying Cyclops with the same result, he got a little worried and called Marie. He was damned glad when she picked up.

"Hey kid," he called out, and he was glad to hear he voice, even if she sounded upset.

"Logan! Where are you?"

"Not far kid. I can see the school from here. I'm kinda wonderin what the hell happened over by the woods."

There was a long silence, and when she answered her voice was more then a little sad. "Ah think it was Scott."

He took a long look at the smashed trees and the furrow that was slashed across the meadow. Yeah, that did make a lot of sense. But it didn't. "You think?" He asked, because he wanted to be sure before he went looking to kick Scooter's ass. Logan liked those woods.

"Ah didn't see him do it."

"Marie."

"Ah didn't! Kitty told me. It was last night, Ah think she said about one in the mornin. Said she out on the patio and saw Scott leave the school and head out toward the woods. She didn't think nothing of it until he cut loose. She thought that somebody was attacking him, so her and Pete ran out there and…he was cryin Logan. Just standin there balling his eyes out."

Damn. He really needed Summers right now, needed him to have his shit together if they were gonna be able to talk to Chuck. "Where is he Marie?"

"He's with the Professor. Been in his office for a while. Logan, Ah tried to talk with him after Kitty told me what she's seen at breakfast. He wouldn't say a word to me."

"Anyone else in there sides Chuck and Scooter?"

"Don't call him that!"

"Damn it kid, I don't got time for this," he growled, and after a few seconds of sullen silence, she answered.

"Ah don't think so. Ms. Monroe and Doctor McCoy are standin outside the office. They look kind of worried."

He was going to kill him. The sneaky bastard had gone and talked to Xavier on his own, after all that bullshit on how he needed Logan's help. He started to snap the phone closed, but something else that Marie had said stopped him.

"You mind tellin me what the hell Pryde was doin out there with Pete at one in the mornin?"

"Do ya really need me to tell ya that Logan?" she answered around a giggle.

Jesus. "Though Pete was still in the med lab."

She laughed again. "You don't like talkin about this do ya? We're not little kids Logan. We're teenagers, most of us almost adults. We hook up. Sometimes it's serious, sometimes not. This one's pretty serious, at least Kitty thinks it is."

"So he's gotta be feelin better then?" He asked, determined not to have a conversation with Marie about this.

"Good enough to trade spit with Kitty."

Shaking his head, Logan cut the connection. He didn't really care he told himself. What ever those kids did when he wasn't training them wasn't any of his God damned business. Except in this case it was. Because he'd seen their personal files when Xavier had agreed to let him train them. Piotr Rasputin was twenty-one years old, but Katherine Pryde wouldn't even be seventeen for a couple of months, even though she was graduating high school with the other kids in a few weeks. Stuff like that happens when you're a frigging genius. Or you live at Chuck's teenaged mutant hook up zone. In way, he was glad that he didn't have time for this right now, what with Scooter's ass needing to be kicked.

Less then two minutes later he squealed to a stop in front of the school. Ditching the car, he pushed through the front door, loping toward Xavier's office. Hank and Ro were there, talking with Janet, who had apparently joined them since his chat with Marie. They were surprised to see him and Janet actually smiled, but Storm didn't look very happy that he was here.

"Hey darlin," he said, trying to return her smile, but his disquiet about what was happening probably made it seem more like a grimace. Then he turned to face Ro.

"Ain't we all supposed ta be havin a meeting?"

"Professor Xavier has postponed it," Storm answered in an icy tone. What the hell had he done to piss her off?

"Why's that?" He shot back, trying to keep his own tone neutral. It still came out like a growl. He couldn't make out the words, but he was pretty sure that he could hear Summers shouting at Chuck. He just didn't know why, and that's what really bothered him.

"Professor Xavier did not say why, only that it was something personal."

"Personal? And Summers went along with this?"

"I am sure he must have."

Ro might be fine with this, but he sure as hell wasn't. What if Chuck knew what was going on, knew what this meeting was all about. Maybe the old man was playing for time, which was something they just didn't have. Besides, he didn't really give a shit what they were talking about. This was more important.

"Well Ro, even if Summers agreed to put off this get together, I didn't. It's too damned important to wait till Cyke is done yellin at Chuck."

"Professor Xavier has asked that they not be interrupted," Storm retorted, with an edge to her voice.

"Is this really that urgent Logan?" Janet asked looking from Ororo to Logan with a frown.

"Damned straight it is darlin," he answered meeting her eyes with his own. Then he turned to Storm and Hank. "I don't want a jaw with ya Ro, but I'm goin in there. I think you and Hank should to, but it's you choice."

Ororo started to answer, but Hank's large hand gently squeezed her shoulder. "I believe my dear, that in light of the current situation you need to give Logan the benefit of the doubt. There is also a strong probability that both Scott and especially the Professor would welcome our interruption. While I cannot understand what is actually being said, the gist of their conversation seems to involve little else other then Scott raising is voice in a provocative manner."

Ororo glanced back at Hank and then stared a hole through Logan. Finally she nodded, and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He started to move toward the door and noticed Janet turning away out of the corner of his eye. That's when it hit him how much he needed her to be in Xavier's office with him. Chuck and Summers were already angry, and it wouldn't take much to set him off, the way he was feeling. Then there was Ro. She was either mad at him or pissed off at something, and when she heard about the danger the school was in…well, she wasn't going to be to damned happy about it. They could all use someone who could keep the peace, and that sure wasn't him.

"Hey darlin, I want you in on this to," he called out to her. She turned, confusion clearly in her expression. "Yer one of us Janet, even if ya ain't a mutant."

"Logan is right," Storm offered, after another long look at him, which wasn't quite so hostile. "Please join us Janet."

After nodding to Ororo, Logan turned the handle, forcing the heavy oak door open. For a long moment they just stared at the two men facing each other across Xavier's desk. Scott was leaning across, both hands planted on the polished wooden surface, his face contorted in anger. The Professor seemed calm, his expression neutral except for a pair of arched eyebrows. But Logan knew better. The stink of anger was as much his as it was Cyke's. Xavier's eyes immediately shifted in their direct, but Scott was slower on the uptake and continued to shout at the other man.

"…had a right to know about this! Maybe not all the details, but you should have told me something! She's my student damn it! You could have at least…"

At that point Summers suddenly stopped, as Xavier turned his head in their direction. "What can I do for you?" He asked, in that understated tone that still managed to convey a measure of thanks.

"Ain't we supposed ta be havin a meeting Chuck?"

"I'm sorry Professor," Ororo added, "but Logan insists that it is too urgent to wait."

"You wanted this Summers," Logan stated, when he saw that Scott was about to say something. "You ain't backin out on me, are ya?"

Scott looked at Logan for a long time and then just shrugged. "No, I'm not," he finally answered. Then he stood straight up, looming over the man on the other side of the desk. "We aren't done with his Professor," he said, his voice oddly calm considering how he'd been yelling just a minute ago.

Xavier just nodded and sat back in his chair, not trying to hide the look of relief on his face. "What is this matter you wish to discuss Logan?"

"Fury knows about Alkali Lake."

He had to give the man credit, Xavier had a damned impressive poker face. A single muscle along the left side of his jaw twitched, otherwise there was nada. Of course Logan didn't need to look at a man's face to know he was afraid, because he could smell the sudden stink of the Professor's fear, along with Ororo and Hank's as well. Slowly Xavier leaned forward, resting his chin on top of his folded hands.

"Exactly what information does he have?" Xavier asked quietly.

Logan looked at Scott, who walked over to the large flat screen that hung on the wall of Xavier's office across from his desk. He pick up the remote, and press a button. The screen brightened and the image of Xavier sitting at the controls of Stryker's ersatz Cerebro came into view. Behind him was Jason Stryker, his slack, expressionless face clearly visible. Only his eyes had the spark of life, shifting from Xavier to the unseen display that was out of sight. Storm made a straggled sort of whine, and Hank cursed. Xavier was silent as the short clip played out. After it was over there was a few seconds of stunned silence, before Xavier ask the question Logan figured was coming.

"How did Colonel Fury come into possession of this?"

Summers started to talk, telling the others about his confrontation with Fury, and how the head of SHIELD had gotten his hands on Stryker's secrets. There was more then enough evidence to show that it was Professor Xavier's power amplified by Cerebro which had caused the physic attack that had been visited upon the Earth's non-mutant population. He also made sure that everyone knew the files that Fury had could be manipulated to show the X-men and Magneto working together. Scott was smart enough to save the worst news for last, that SHIELD could prove the device which had been used to attack humanity was the creation of Charles Xavier and his former friend, Eric Lehnsherr.

"This is intolerable," Ororo snapped, as soon as Summers stopped talking. "The Professor was as much a victim as any one else. Do not these so called records show this to be true?"

"Yes they do," Summers answered, with a shrug. "But I don't think that will help us much."

"He's right Ro," Logan added. "gotta figure that hundreds o' people were killed when Mags switched the machine over so it would effect normals."

"Actually, the number of deceased as a result of what the media are referring to as 'The Event' was 1872 in Europe and North America alone," Hank stated in a hollow voice. "Mostly traffic accidents and strokes. The mutant death toll is unknown, of course."

"Dear God," Xavier murmured, his face white.

"You are not to blame Charles," Ororo insisted, looking at Logan. "You were cruelly used by hateful men. I am convinced a careful examination of the facts will show this."

"Maybe," Logan answered, "but I'm thinkin that no one is gonna care too damned much about how Stryker or Lehnsherr screwed with us. All they're gonna see is that mutants did it."

"I agree," Summers spoke up, shaking his head. "Anti-mutant hysteria was on the rise even before this happened. Now the haters have something they can really latch on to, something that effected every baseline human on the planet. There's no way we could spin this, even if we were given the chance."

"What do you mean by that Scott?"

"Just this Hank. I asked Fury if the government already knew about what had happened, and he said that if they did then we would have already been attacked. I think he's right. If the authorities find out, they're going to shoot first and investigate later."

"This is a school!" Storm said in an angry tone. "There are children here. They would not dare to attack this place."

"Stryker did," Logan growled, running a hand through his hair.

"That is certainly a precedent that we should all keep in mind," Xavier stated in a tired voice. "Since we have heard nothing from those in power, I presume that Colonel Fury has not yet seen fit to inform them of what he knows. What does he want from us Scott?"

"For now? He wants us to agree to get rid of Cerebro."

"Of course," Hank murmured, "one can certainly see that it would be a priority, from his point of view.'

"It's not just a priority Hank," Scott answered, shaking his head. "It's a non-negotiable demand. If we don't agree, he's going to send all his information to the Department of Homeland Security."

"Surely though, there might be some compromise. Perhaps if I could discuss the matter with him personally."

"You mean face ta face, don't ya?" Logan asked, and when Xavier nodded, he laughed. "He ain't stupid Chuck. No way he's gonna put himself out there so you could change his mind for him."

"Are implying that Professor Xavier would use his power to achieve such a goal?"

"Not normally. But this ain't a normal situation, is it Ro? Sides I don't see why Fury would wanna talk about anything. Don't see how we have much of a choice here. He's got us by the short hairs and he knows it."

"You surprise me Logan," Ororo retorted. "I would have thought that you of all people would be urging us to fight back, not to knuckle under to a threat."

"That's cause it ain't a threat damn it!"

"Nevertheless, I cannot believe that you would simply submit to this blackmail."

"You think I don't wanna fight? If it were up ta me I'd gut the son of a bitch!"

"Then why give in?"

"Cause it ain't the kind o' fight that you got the stomach for Ro."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Cause it'd be down and dirty, and none of you know how ta fight that way. Least ways I ain't seen it yet."

"I assume that by 'down and dirty' you mean that we would have to kill."

"There'd be blood enough ta choke all of ya."

"You presume too much Logan," she warned, her voice laced with contempt. "While I am reluctant to take life, I will use whatever means are needed to protect the children that have been entrusted to us."

"And that's your problem Ro. Ya got a bunch a kids here, so ya can't stand and fight, but ya can't run and hide either. At least not right now."

"Blaming our students for your unwillingness to defend them. How convenient."

"I ain't blamin them Ro. Ain't their fault you people thought it would be a good idea to run the X-men outta this school. If you want ta know who's ta blame for puttin them at risk, take a gook look in the mirror."

"How dare you!" She snarled rising to her feet with clouded eyes. "I certainly have no need to justify myself to the likes of you Wolverine."

Logan slowly stood up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Hank stand as well. He opened his mouth to say something (probably something stupid), but Janet spoke first.

"Will you sit down Logan!" She snapped, then turned on Storm. "Don't we have enough trouble already Ororo, without fighting each other as well?"

"Janet's right," Scott added in a loud voice. "The last thing we need right now is to start playing the blame game."

"If you will recall," Ororo retorted in a brittle voice, "it was I along with Henry who protested using the school as a base for the X-men. You thought our concerns amusing at the time."

"And I'm sorry Ororo," Scott replied. "I was wrong. It was dumb, I can see that now, but it doesn't really help us at the moment."

"Indeed it does not," Hank said after a few moments of silence. "Whatever decisions that were made in the past, they cannot be undone. I believe we would be best served contemplating our current dilemma."

"Colonel Fury must know what would happen were he to deliver this information to the authorities," Xavier mused, looking at Scott. "That being the case, do you really think that he would take such a step?"

"Yes I do Professor," Scott answered without hesitation.

"He'd have ta," Logan added. "After what happened, he ain't got much of a choice."

"Please explain yourself Logan."

"It ain't hard ta figure Chuck. He's taken a big chance as it is by not tellin the Feds about this. If he were ta let you keep Cerebro and they found out, he's done."

"This isn't a hard choice to make," Janet said, looking at Xavier. "You have to think of the students Charles. Most of them simply do not have any place else to go."

"I wish it were that simple my dear," Xavier answered softly. "Without Cerebro, I fear our ability to find and protect mutants will be irreparably harmed."

"I don't want to give in to this man Charles," Storm declared, "but Janet is correct. Our first responsibility must be to the students."

"It ain't given in," Logan stated in a low raspy voice. "We can't win this round, but it's gonna be a long fight. Ro is right, we can't throw in the towel ta that son of a bitch."

"Our mission won't change Professor. We'll find away to protect our kind, even if we don't have Cerebro."

"There is more to what we do then that Scott. I still believe in a world where mutants will be accepted just like anyone else."

"With all due respect, that's not the world we live in right now Professor, and I don't see how things will ever be different."

"Scott, I know that you have received a terrible shock, but I think…"

"No, not a shock," the other man interrupted in a hard voice. "Just a dose of reality. We're different Professor, and we always will be. I accept that and so should you. What I will not accept is that our difference gives these so called humans the right to abuse us with impunity."

"You cannot deny that we have many non-mutant friends, who we will have to rely on more then ever now."

"None of them were there to help…" Scott stopped at Xavier's warning gesture. "Sorry," he whispered, looking around the room, almost like he'd forgotten the others were there.

"Fury needs an answer," Logan drawled, breaking the uneasy silence.

"Indeed," Xavier answered in a sad voice. "It would seem that you are all agreed that the best course of action for the moment is to meet Colonel Fury's demand."

There were silent nods all around. "Very well. Scott, please inform him that we will make no attempt to reconstruct Cerebro."

"He's gonna want more then that Chuck. He won't just take your word."

"Of course Logan. I am sure that we will all need to have a discussion concerning the pertinent details. However, I have no wish to do so now."

With a brief nod Scott walked out, leaving the door to Xavier's office open behind him. The others began to file out in his wake. Logan turned to go as well, but Xavier asked him to stay. He glanced at Janet and shook his head, before pulling the door closed.

"What do ya want Chuck?"

"Your opinion. You stated earlier that Fury is taking a risk on our behalf by failing to disclose what he knows concerning Alkali Lake. Why would he do that?"

"Cause he needs us."

"For what purpose?"

"Hydra for one. Those fuckers are lookin for mutants, and Fury wants our help keepin them away from em. From Mags too. Havin us around gives mutants a place ta go sides runnin to Lehnsherr."

"Then why take away Cerebro? Surely he knows how important it is to us?"

"Come on Chuck. After what happened, what would you do in his place?"

"I would certainly institute safeguards to ensure such a thing never happened again."

"Don't see how ya could possibly guarantee that."

"You would be my guarantee Logan. The one person who could be counted on to stop me were I coerced into misusing Cerebro again."

"Now how the hell would I do that?"

"By killing me."

**A/N: A big thanks to all who are still reading this story. At least this update didn't take me over a year to write. Please give me your feedback. I enjoy hearing what you think, good or bad.**


	36. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

There was a long silence, stretching out uncomfortably, which Xavier kept himself from breaking through an act of sheer will. Logan stood in front of him, his expression unreadable, his left hand slowly rubbing the knuckles of his right as he stared off into space.

"Yer fucking serious?" He finally asked, meeting Xavier's eyes with his own.

"Yes I am," Xavier answered, leaning forward and folding his hands under his chin. "I believe that this is a practical solution to our dilemma. Indeed, it may well be the only one."

Then to the Professor's complete astonishment, Logan smiled. It was not a pleasant sight. "Been thinkin about this for a while, ain't ya?"

"I…I'm not sure what you mean Logan," Xavier stammered, when he finally found his voice.

The Wolverine barked out a laugh that ended as abruptly as it had started. "Come on Chuck. Kinda figured out a while ago why ya wanted me around. Just never thought it'd be you."

Xavier took a moment to collect himself. The conversation had just became more complicated then he'd expected. "Logan, the option I have just mentioned has been on my mind since Alkali Lake. And I promise you that I am the only target I have ever considered asking you to eliminate. Only under a very special set of circumstances of course."

The other man sniffed the air once, and then gave Xavier a small nod. "So you don't want me around just cause I don't mind doin the dirty work. But ya ain't exactly bothered about it either."

"Yes, I will admit to that. I do not hold with taking lives Logan. That being said, whatever my dreams for the future may be, I would be naïve not to acknowledge that mutants may well face a very dark reality."

Logan shrugged is shoulders and walked over to the large office window, his back to Xavier. "Yer more important then the damned machine Chuck," he drawled, after another long silence. "Who the hell you think mutants are gonna go runnin to if you ain't around?"

"They will gravitate to Eric in any event, if we cannot protect them. Without Cerebro I feel helpless Logan. If as you say groups such as Hydra are hunting mutants, then it is more vital then ever that I have access to it."

"Sorry, but I don't think Fury would go for it. And even if he did, I won't."

"Perhaps you are correct about Colonel Fury. Nevertheless, I still feel the need to secure your promise to do what ever it takes to ensure that I will never again be used as I was at Alkali Lake."

"I don't kill for other people," he shot back in a low voice. "I'm the only one who get's ta decide that now. Don't really see it's a problem anyway, since yer machine won't be in the picture any more."

"You may well be right. However, I am not the only one who knows how to build Cerebro."

"Shit. Didn't really think about that."

"So you see Logan," Xavier went on, his voice carefully neutral, "there is still a danger, one that still needs your commitment should the situation ever arise."

"Gotta better idea Chuck. Instead a me promising ta kill you, why don't I kill Lenscherr."

"No Logan," Xavier replied, shaking his head. "Eric must be brought to justice, but I cannot sanction his murder."

"Justice huh?" Logan snarled, turning from the window, "like the justice he handed out ta Marie? Or maybe like what he did at Alkali Lake? You and Cyke shouda killed that mother fucker at Liberty Island! If ya had, none a this shit happens."

"The X-men are not a band of vigilantes," Xavier shot back. "We do not take the law into our own hands."

"Yeah. Maybe we shoulda called the cops after Stryker snatched ya."

"Logan I cannot stress highly enough…"

"Can it Xavier," the other man cut in. "We already tried things yer way. Didn't get us much, did it?"

"If mutants are to be accepted by the rest of man kind, we must live by the same rules."

"That's a good one. Why don't ya try tellin that to Jubilee. Or better yet Jeannie."

"Do you think I am pleased about the way things are," the Professor demanded, his face flushed with anger. "However much I might enjoy striking out against our enemies, it would only make our situation worse."

"Don't see how it could be worse Chuck." With a shrug, Logan started for the door.

"Please Logan, a moment more if you will," Xavier called out. "I want you to know that I would not make this request were not the situation so dire. I still believe that without the use of Cerebro, our mission of finding and protecting young mutants will be almost impossible."

"Sorry Chuck, no dice. It'll be tougher, but it's gonna help ya in the long run."

"How can you possibly say that?"

"Cause you ain't gonna be around forever. Time ta start figurin out how things are gonna be when there's no one around who can use Cerebro."

* * *

That conversation, hell the whole damned situation irritated him, like an itch he couldn't scratch. The longer he thought about it, the more ticked off he got. Xavier didn't even blink about offering himself up to be killed, but the idiot wouldn't do the thing that really needed to be done. Get rid of Magneto. After a while he shrugged it off, after all it was old news and didn't much figure into their current dilemma. Whatever happen to that old bastard, it wouldn't change a thing about the other problems they had now. Nothing had really been decided, not to his satisfaction. Xavier had only agreed because it was the only real choice he had. Logan had no idea what Summers was thinking, other then he was pissed off at Chuck for some reason. And the others, they were just scared. Or scared and pissed in Ororo's case. Angry at him, he was sure of it, from the tone of her voice, and how she'd challenged his willingness to give in to Fury. That was one of the biggest differences between them. When it came right down to it, they were all idealists, and he wasn't.

All of them really thought that they could make a difference, that what they were doing here would somehow leave the world a better place in the end, and that they'd actually be around to see it. That last part really stuck in his crawl, because that wasn't the way things worked. Some vague ghost of memory made him certain that those kind of changes could only be bought by sacrifice and blood. Lenscherr realized that, and Logan knew down to his bones that the man wouldn't flinch. He'd proved that twice, but Xavier still didn't understand. Probably never would if his reaction to Jean's death was any indication. Maybe because what happened to her had been so quick, so unexpected. Almost an accident. He wondered what Xavier and the others would do when other people they knew and loved started dying right before their eyes. Logan only knew that he wanted to put that off for as long as possible. Giving in to Fury was the only way he could figure how to do that.

When he got tired of thinking he took the elevator to the basement, determined to lose himself in something. He thought about the Danger Room, but it was occupied, so he decided on weights instead. After working his way through the all the stations of the weight machine twice, he pulled the hundred pound dumbbells from the rack and started on arms curls, using the dull repetitions to help empty his mind. Soon enough the matters that preoccupied him fell away and there was only the two masses of iron, moving up to his shoulders and down again, as his muscles flexed and relaxed. That was how Marie found his, his arms moving like levers, eyes wide open and seeing nothing, his breath deep and regular.

"Logan," she said softly, then again louder, and finally, after the third repetition he stopped.

"What?" He asked, his voice a little hoarse, as he went to the rack to replace the weights.

"What are you doin?"

"Marie," he said, with a hint of annoyance, and she shook her head and chuckled.

"Ah mean… does liftin weights even do anything for ya?"

"Not much," he admitted grabbing a small towel from a shelf to rub the sheen of sweat from his forehead. "Gotta do a hell of a lot of reps ta make a difference."

"Then why?"

"Cause it does make a difference," he prevaricated, not wanting to explain his reasons for wanting to empty his mind.

Besides it was the truth, as far as those things went. He need to work pretty damned hard to change his physique. It was kind of a surprise when he started on the weights and nothing much happened, so he's asked Hank about it. Of course Big Blue got all interested, wanted to run a bunch of damned tests to find out why. And of course he'd said no. So all Hank could do was theorize, which to Logan was just a fancy word for taking a guess. McCoy figured that because of his mutation (big surprise there), his body already had what Hank called 'optimal muscle tone and density,' so adding any more turned out to be a huge fucking chore. That sounded reasonable to him. Since Logan had never bother to regularly lift anything heavier then a case of beer (or a woman) before he'd come to the mansion, he had no clue himself.

"Ok," she said with a funny half smile, and it took him a few moments to realize she was staring at his chest. His naked, sweaty chest.

"Marie," he warned mildly, and she had the nerve to laugh at him.

"Relax Logan. It's my rommie who's in lust with ya. Ah'm just enjoyin the view."

He chuckled low in his throat, shaking his head. She smiled back, laughing, and then that grin was gone and her eyes locked in on his. "Someone gonna tell us what's goin on Logan?"

Damn it, he really didn't want to deal with this right now. He first impulse was to play dumb, and get the hell out of there. But he knew exactly what she wanted to know, and couldn't think of a single reason why she shouldn't. Fuck Xavier and his bullshit intentions, she was already training to be an X-Man. Sure, he wasn't going to actually ask her until she was done with school, and there wasn't going to be any missions until Marie was eighteen, but that was the deal and she and her buddies knew it. Pretending they were still kids for a few more weeks wasn't going to do any body any good.

"Meet me in the garage in thirty minutes," he rumbled, giving her an answer. "We'll go some where."

"The mall?" She asked, flashing a grin, and he groaned, but nodded.

And she went tearing out of the weight room in a flash, her excitement reminding him that while she was about to take on the responsibilities of an adult, there was still a little bit of kid inside her, despite everything she'd gone through. Maybe Xavier was a little bit right about this, maybe she could hold on to that for a little while more. Maybe keeping her and her friends in the dark about certain things wasn't such a bad idea, except that she already knew. Not all the details, not unless she's forgotten to tell him she was psychic. But she already had a pretty good idea that something was going on, and it wouldn't take her very long to figure out it was bad. Hell, one good look at Summer's face in an unguarded moment would tell her that. Besides, when it came right down to it, telling her that everything was alright was just something he couldn't do. He might shade the truth with Marie, and he certainly didn't have a problem with _**not**_ telling her certain things. He just couldn't lie to her. With a shrug he went to the elevator. Thirty minutes would give him just enough time to take a shower.

When he saw who was with her, he almost said no. Jubilee didn't look too damned happy about it either. Her jaw dropped as soon as she saw who was giving them a ride. It only took a moment for that surprise to morph into something like fury.

"Rogue," she whispered, staring hard at her friend.

"Can it Jubes, Marie shot back with a grin. "Who else do ya think I could get ta take us?"

The other girl shook her head, muttering obscenities, but when she started to move toward the door Logan had just come through, Rogue grabbed her arm. "Please Jubes, Ah need you to come with me."

"Why?"

"Cause there's some stuff Logan needs ta me talk about. Stuff you need ta hear to. Sides, Ah really hate when the two people Ah love the most can't stay in the same room together."

Jubilee turned her head, looking at Logan for a long time, then nodded. Getting to the mall was a twenty minute ride. Logan took a car so the girls could sit together in the back seat, whispering to each other about which stores they were going to check out, while he drove and pretended not to hear. Once they got there it seemed like Marie wasn't in any hurry to hear what he had to tell her. Those two stopped at every damned place that had any female clothing at all, along with three shoe stores. Even tried to slip into that lingerie place that still mails catalogues to the mansion addressed to Jean Gray. That's when he put his foot down. There was no way he was going in there, and he wasn't about to let either one of them out of his sight. Not after what happened the last time they were here. Marie giggled at his intransigence, while Jubes snagged a new catalogue for herself after waggling her eyebrows at him. Then just when he thought he was safe, those brats devised a new torture for him.

The were almost at the food court when they suddenly halted, looking at each other with expressions that put him on alert. Marie started to laugh and Jubes just nodded. Then they both made a beeline toward other damned shop. Logan started to follow, but stopped dead when he saw it was a clothing store for men. He barked out a warning, but they were already inside, so he followed, trailing curses in his wake. Damn, he thought, once he was inside. There were racks of pants, and not one of them was made from denim, row after row of suits, sport coats, along with thousands of ties (the sight of which made him feel a little queasy), top coats, and even tuxedoes. Penguin suits, a voice whispered in his head, and he stared at them, certain that at some point in his life, he dressed in a tux on a regular basis. Jubilee followed his line of sight and snickered.

"Come on Wolvie. You gotta learn ta crawl before you can run." She grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the suits and dress shirts.

Some smarmy looking guy dressed to the nines headed toward them, but Jubilee waved him away. She walked slowly down each rack, occasionally picking out a suit to hold in front of him, exchanging comments with Rogue about side vents versus center, two button or three, and what kind of fabric or pattern (window pane?) looked good on him. At first it was like they were talking in a foreign language, and one he really didn't think he wanted to listen to. After all, he had exactly six pairs of blue jeans, twelve shirts, and enough underwear to get him through a week without needing to do laundry (not that he minded going commando if he had to). The reason for this wasn't that he was a cheap son of a bitch (which was true enough). It was just that if he'd owned anything more then that, it wouldn't fit in his duffel. By the time they'd reached the end of the third row of racks he felt a homicidal urge coming on. He was just about to turn and run for his life when Jubilee actually squeaked, and took off toward another set of racks across the store.

"What the hell is she doin?" He growled at Rogue.

"Jubes loves this sorta thing," she answered with a shake of her head. "She's got notebooks full of drawings she's made of different clothes and how they'd look on people, along with teeny little swatches of different kinds of fabric."

"Damn it Marie, that girl's gonna drive me crazy."

"Come on Logan, and buck it up, will ya. Can't ya see how happy she is? Sides, she really is good at this. Even helps the Professor pick out his suits."

"Yer kiddin me?"

"Nope," she answered, whispering in his ear, because her friend was heading straight for them, holding several suits out in front of her. "From what Jubes told me, Professor Xavier used to wear sweater vests."

Logan wasn't sure what she was talking about, but the way Marie said it that must have been a bad thing. But she was right about one thing. While her friend wasn't quite smiling, he could tell from her posture and tone of voice that Jubilee was enjoying herself. What the hell he figured, if this got him back on her good side, he could suffer along for a few minutes. Logan sure didn't enjoy being in a place like this and he didn't have any real use for the suits, but it sure beat the hell outta actually having to talk to the kid about what was bugging her. So he let her prattle on for a few more minutes about designer suits (which were apparently what she was holding), and the advantages of European over American styling (better silhouette?) while at the edge of his mind, a memory niggled about how he used to dress in a more formal way, even if nothing the kid showed him struck a bell. After a little while longer she finally started to run down, and he strongly suggested they find a place to eat.

There was a simpering suburban like version of a brew pub on the upper level of the food court, which featured locally brewed beer that smelled funny. But at least the food appeared to be edible, and it was a sit down place with booths and Molson by the bottle. They settled in and placed their orders, and after their drinks arrived he took a pull from his beer and Marie nudged her friend in the ribs.

"Ok Logan, what's going on?"

Loaded question that, and he spent enough time thinking about how to answer that both girls started to get nervous. He finally decided that it was no use trying to make this sound good. So he tried to explain how a international spy agency called SHIELD, run by a guy he knew named Nick Fury had found out about what had happened at Alkali Lake, and that this was going to be a huge fucking problem. That's about as far as he got before Jubilee decided she'd heard enough.

"Dude," she blurted out, with that slight So Cal accent that still lingered. "I mean seriously…spies? And why should we be in trouble? Those fuckers attacked us!"

"Hold it down kid," he growled. She opened her mouth to speak again, but he cut her off. "It ain't about what happened ta Stryker and his goons. It's about what Chuck did when he was hooked up ta that machine."

"That's not his fault!" The Asian girl insisted, before going on in a quieter voice. "It was that freak screwing with his head."

"Yeah it was. But it don't matter kid, cause you know who's gonna get blamed for it."

"Mutants." Marie croaked, with just a tiny edge of fear in her voice.

"Well shit," Jubilee muttered, after sipping some of her drink from a straw.

"What are we gonna do?" Marie asked, rubbing her gloved hands together.

"Whatever we gotta do ta survive kid. Fury ain't lookin to turn us over to the feds, but there's gonna be a price. He wants Chuck to get rid of Cerebro."

"Why?" Jubilee asked, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"Cause Fury ain't about to let Chuck keep Cerebro after what happened."

"No I get that," she answered, then shuts up because the waitress is here with there food. After the plates are handed out, she snags a fry from her plate and gobbles it down.

"Why is this Fury even giving us a choice? What does he want with us?"

That's a good question, he thinks, and he wish he knew the answer for sure. But he doesn't so he shrugs and takes a big bite out his burger, and washes it down with some more beer. Then he tells them about what happened at the warehouse last week. Both of the girls know some of the details, but not everything. Not that he's not going to tell them every detail, just mainly the reason why. They need to know about HYDRA more then anything, if they're going to be able to make an intelligent decision, which is the real point of him doing this.

Cause it isn't about protecting their kind against some racist assholes who don't have a clue, or rescuing kids from bad parents or abusive foster homes. Cause now there's a chance these kids will be dealing with trained killers on a regular basis, people who are looking to take and use mutants as tools for their fucked up plans. So he tells them about what went down, not because he wants their sympathy on account of what happened to him, but so they would think about what the result would be if it was one of them those fuckers were shooting instead. Then he makes a mistake. Whoever said that honesty is always the best policy was full of crap. Because when Marie hears what happened to the mutants HYDRA was after, that little bit of trepidation he'd noticed from her is gone, replaced by pure fury.

"They killed those kids, just cause they didn't like their…gifts?"

"Yeah, that's about right kid. HYDRA wants mutants who have powers they can use. Mutants like you two."

"Why are you tellin us this Logan?" She demands, struggling to control her emotions.

"Cause you need ta know what you're gonna be up against."

"Bullshit, you're tryin ta scare us," she responds.

"You should be scared kid," he answers, forcing his own voice to remain calm.

"Course Ah am," she snaps back, determination written plainly on her face. "But Ah'm not going to abandon my family, and Ah won't stop fighting for what Ah believe in. That would make me a coward."

He simply nods, biting back the sudden surge of rage he feels, most of it directed at Xavier and the others. Because he knows her well enough to think that Marie wasn't like that before she came to the school. He doesn't pretend that he knows what kind of a kid she was before she ran away, but eight months on the road is enough to burn away whatever idealism you might hold on to. Trouble is she ended up living in a house full of idealists, and apparently it's communicable. He should know after all. The thing of it is, he's pretty sure that a little bit of that won't get** him **killed. His eyes flick over to Jubilee, and he sees some of the same tenacity that Marie projects, but there's something else there to. A wariness that he's familiar with, because he sees it every time he looks in a mirror. She blinks twice when she sees he's watching her, then looks away, but not before she inclines her head, a tiny nod. The kid was like him. Jubilee has no problem fighting to protect her own, but she's not about to lay her life on the line for an idea. He thinks about Xavier, about how the old man could actually ask Logan to kill him without batting an eye, and right at the moment he'd really like to, because he doesn't ever want to see Marie end up like that.

"You listen ta me kid," he rumbles, fixing her with a stare. "Runnin away from a fight ya can't win ain't got nuthin ta do with being a coward."

"Are you gonna run?" She demands, and he wants to say yes, that he's taking them both and getting the hell out. But instead he just shakes his head.

"It ain't the same thing Marie."

"Dude, are you saying we can't win?" Jubilee asks, before Rogue could respond.

"Don't know kid. Not really sure what winning would look like."

"That's easy Wolvie. Winning means we're still alive."

Rogue frowns at that, but she doesn't say anything more, just picks at her food until he's finished eating. Jubes cleans her plate and orders desert, which doesn't really surprise him. The kids been through more then enough shit that she had to learn a long time ago how to distance herself from things she couldn't do anything about. That used to be easy for him, but not lately. The drive back is quiet, and he thinks about how he really felt concerning Marie risking her life for Xavier's ideals. It doesn't take him too long to realize it feels like shit.

**A/N: Still working on this, and I'll try to get the next one out faster. Should be finished in two or three more chapters. There will be a follow on. Please press that review button and let me know what you think.**


	37. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

He didn't sleep much that night, thoughts about the future chasing around inside his head. The whole idea that he had actual people to worry about was still hard to swallow, and the way his gut twisted up when he considered the possibilities didn't make for a good night's rest. By the time light started leaking around the edges of his curtain, he'd pretty much given up on sleep, going down to the rec room to shoot some pool. The crack of balls colliding precisely and the soft thump they made rolling into the pockets helped him to relax. Logan had made a lot of money with this game over the years, but his reason for playing had little to do with cash. For him it was a reminder of what he'd lost to Stryker, the first sign that his life hadn't begun when he woke up naked in the snow, spattered with flaky blotches of rusted red. The first moment he'd spied that felt covered table in a biker bar, Logan knew what it was. The stick felt familiar in his hands, and he quickly realized he could make that cue do whatever he wanted. Setting up a complex shot and seeing the look on his opponents face when the ball dropped into the pocket for the first time was an affirmation of his humanity.

Picking up the chalk, he applied it to his stick, and crouched over the table for another shot. The result was textbook, but Logan frowned, worried that playing too much on this table would cause him to lose his edge. It was a perfect table; perfectly level, with a thin napless cloth and perfectly smooth rails. Not the kind of table he'd ever played on before he came here. Hell, Chuck even had a heater installed, which kept the surface dry so the balls would roll true. Took a lot of the fun out it too, as far as he concerned. After a final shot, he returned the cue to it's place on the rack and went back to his room, changing into shorts for his morning run. When he stepped out of the glass door Jubilee was finishing her warm up stretches.

"Are we good?" He asked, and she just nodded, looking past him down the path.

"Let's go then."

He set a brisk pace, but the kid just handled it, running beside him when the route was wide enough, then dropping back a few feet when it narrowed. They ran in silence, save for the early morning songs from the birds, and the sound of his bare feet and her shoes on the hard, packed earth of the path. After several miles of winding, wooded track, the trail straighten and they broke through the shade into the grass covered meadow. Up ahead he could see the hill and he picked up the pace, shortening his stride as he hit the switchbacks. Behind him he could hear Jubilee breathing faster and deeper, but she didn't fall back or whine for him to slow down. When they finally reached the top, he glanced back and she was right behind him as they sprinted across the meadow and down the long shallow slope that lead to the athletic fields and the end of the run. He was going flat out now, and so was she, pounding down the path toward the mansion. For a few moments the girl almost pulled even with him, then gradually fell back over the last quarter mile, so that when he did reach the deck, he had a good fifteen seconds to watch her. She was still pushing herself, running hard enough that she almost stumbled and fell flat on her face a couple of times over that last hundred feet, before sliding to a stop on the wooden surface less then five feet away from where he stood. After about half a minute of hunching over, hands on her knees to catch her breath, she looked up at him, irritation plain on her face.

"Stupid healing factor," she muttered indignantly as she straighten and walked over to grab her water bottle off the picnic table. "I could beat your butt in a hundred," she said, after taking a deep drink.

"Probably could kid," he responded mildly, and she smiled at the thought that she could beat him at anything.

Then she took another long drink and grumbled something about a test, before slipping through the glass doors. He shook his head as he watched her go. No drama, no crap about the other day when he caught her sleeping his room. That was way too easy he told himself, and he had a feeling that sometime her and him would have to deal with it again. Right now he was just glad that Jubes had let him off the hook, because he had something else he needed to deal with, something else he needed to make right.

Ever since that night he'd first talked to Fury, Phillips and him had been dancing around each other. Actually, that wasn't quite true, cause he'd been tap dancing alone, while Janet waited patiently for him to ask her for a twirl. She'd let him know that night and the next day that she wanted more then friendship from him, and he'd been desperate enough after what he'd leaned from Fury to take any comfort he could get. Pretty damned pathetic, but there it was.

Then Creed showed up, and he'd let what happened give him the excuse he was looking for to go back to the status quo. It was an easy thing to rationalize. First of all, it was too dangerous to hang out with him. Besides, she'd seen him (the real him), and it had scared the hell out of her. He figured that would be enough send her screaming into the night, or at least enough to keep her away, only he'd figured wrong. Janet didn't stay scared, something that shocked the hell out of him. She still tried to help him, and neither his pissy moods or his fucked up life was enough to discourage her. She still wanted him, but she wasn't going to push, not on this. If anything was going to happen, he'd have to make the first move. What the hell he decided, maybe today was his lucky day.

"Hey J…ya got a minute?"

She looked up from her desk with an expression of surprise, which quickly changed to smile. "Of course Logan, what do you want?"

You. He took a long breath, focusing on her scent. Damn but he wanted to wallow in the aroma. She was beautiful in every way that matter and he wanted her. Whatever things he'd told himself, in the end it was that simple. He let his gaze linger over her face, the full lips, her high cheekbones, the nose that's just a little too large. Sure she wasn't perfect, but then again he'd never really had much use for any woman who tried to be. Most of the time all he'd ever really cared about was an interesting scent and a willing attitude. Then Jeannie had gone and changed his mind on that just a little. She was willing all right, no woman could lie to him about that. But not willing to give in. At first, it just pissed him off. A bunch of damned hypocrisy, he told himself. He knew that deep down under that class and those big words that she was a hot blooded gal. So then why say no? Couldn't really figure it out, until she was gone.

Jean Gray had something with Summers that he didn't understand at the time. Those two had shared a lot more then a bed. They shared their lives, and did it in a way that he didn't know if he was capable of, or would even want to. Sure he was here now, making a commitment that he would never have dreamed of six months ago, but everything was pretty much on his terms. Thing of it was, Jeannie would never have gone for that half assed kind of relationship, even with the promise of what he **could** give her, and he had a pretty good idea that Janet was the same way. So why did he want to even try? Because she wouldn't wait forever for him to get his shit together, and he didn't want to see her walk away.

He slipped into her tiny office, sitting on the small couch that was wedged into a corner by her desk. There was a short stretch of silence while he tried to think of a way to tell her what was on his mind. Talk you idiot he told himself, she's waiting for you to say something.

"Want ta know what you thought about the little talk we had in Chuck's office," he finally answered, deciding it was a safe way to start. Or maybe not, judging by the brief look of disappointment that flashed across her face.

"I'm still not sure," she said, shaking her head. "Most of these kids have no where to go Logan," she went on, gesturing to the thick pile of files on her desk. He nodded, waiting for her to go on. "But it isn't really right to keep them here either, is it? It just isn't safe."

Safe. Kind of a relative idea. For now they were fine, but that could change pretty damned fast. "Don't know what we can do about it."

"Charles as received several offers from people who want to start mutants schools in other parts of the country. I think it's time he did something about it."

"Can't see how that makes a lot of sense. Hell darlin, we really don't have enough people here ta protect these kids, how are we gonna do it some place else?"

"Well you certainly can't do it here," she retorted. "We need help Logan, and there's a lot of people out there who want to give it. We need to find those people, and mobilize them. Mutant rights is too important an issue to keep it to ourselves."

"Don't seem ta me like anyone is breaking down our door with offers kid," he muttered, hunched over with his elbows on his knees.

"That's because no one knows about this place. Look, I understand why Xavier needed to keep it a secret, but that isn't working anymore. First Stryker, and now this. We need to go public Logan."

"Are you outta yer head?" He snapped, staring at her. "Let every nut job know we gotta bunch of mutant kids here? That's crazy."

"Really?" she shot back matching his anger. "So…it's not crazy to train Marie, Jubilee, and the others to fight and watch them get hurt or even die, but it's just fucking nuts to ask any one else for help?"

"Don't really think ya understand the situation here," he countered a bit too loudly. "What ever happens with Fury and what he knows, those kids are gonna need ta fight. Probably for the rest of their lives."

"And you're alright with that?" She asked, her voice incredulous.

"What the fuck do ya want me ta say?" He asked in a suddenly quiet voice. "No I don't like it, especially when it comes ta Marie. But it's the only way I can do anything for em."

"No Logan I…"

"Just let me finish, will ya," he demanded, but without any heat. She sat back in her chair and nodded. "Right now, it's the only damned way I can help em. Fightin's all I know J. It's what I'm good at. And ya can't say it ain't somethin these kids need."

"I'm not saying they don't need to learn how to defend themselves, but that's not what we're talking about and you know it."

"Yeah it is. It's about fightin ta protect yourselves and your family. That's what Marie said ta me when I told her and Jubes about Fury."

"You told them?"

"Yeah. Took Marie and Jubes out last night. I figured they needed ta know what they were getting themselves into. Even tried ta talk Marie out of it, but she wasn't buying."

"Logan, we're not giving them a real choice. Of course they're not going to turn their backs on Charles or their friends."

"Hold on a minute J," he interrupted, raising one hand, palm out. "No ones gonna make these kids do something they ain't ready for. Even if they decide ta walk away from the school, they're gonna have to know what ta do when they get inta trouble. Especially if they're on their own."

"Sorry," she muttered looking away. "It's just that I…I never thought I be in a situation like this."

"Same here darlin. It's a hell of thing, being worried about people. Don't ever remember feelin this way before. Can't say I like it much."

"I know," she sighed, slumping back in her chair. "I'm not saying that you don't want what's best for them. I see how much you care. It's just that… they're so young Logan. Don't they deserve a chance to live a normal life?"

"Course they do darlin. But the thing of is they ain't normal. And I don't think they wanna be."

"Isn't that what this is all about?" She asked, her tone carefully neutral. "The chance for mutants to live just like everyone else."

"Sure, that's what Chuck is lookin for. For me it's a lot simpler. Just wanna keep em alive."

So that's it," she replied with a frown. "Survival is the best we can hope for?"

"Yeah. Hell, maybe Chuck can find a way ta make it work, but right now that's how it is."

"What about you Logan? What do you want out of this?"

"Guess I ain't really lookin for more then I got now. A chance ta try and be a part o' other peoples lives, and let them have the same with me."

"Sounds like a family to me."

"Yeah, I guess that's it. Used ta think a lot about that family part," he replied quietly. "But I gotta pretty good idea that I never had the guts ta try. Least ways not for a hell of a long time. I'm thinkin right here and now is the best shot I've ever had for any of that stuff."

"How do you know that?"

"Cause I talked to a guy that used ta know me darlin, and that's what he said."

In a low steady voice, he explained his memory of Mariko, telling her that they were in love and had wanted to marry. He watched her closely, so he saw the brief look of surprise on her face, followed by another expression that he wasn't sure of. Then he went on to relate his meeting with Dugan, telling her of his need to know who the woman in his vision was, and why he thought this man could give him that. Turned out he knew who Mariko was, and a hell of a lot more besides. Dugan had known him for nearly forty years, had fought with him in the Second World War and in quite a few battles afterwards. According to him, Logan had lived a nomadic existence, avoiding long term relationships of any kind, be it family, friends, or lovers.

"How does he know that Logan?" She asked, in a nervous voice.

"Cause that's what I told him," he responded, looking away.

"That's what…did he say why?"

"Yeah. It's cause o' my gift J. Don't age like other people do. How the fuck do ya explain that ta people who know ya. Dugan used ta have the same problem."

"Used to?"

What the hell he figured. Dugan never said he couldn't tell anyone. So he told her all of it; how Dugan and Fury had found a way to cheat old age and death, and about his conversation with Dugan concerning what kind of price you had to pay when you did that. She didn't want to believe any of it at first, and Logan really couldn't blame her for that. Even Hollywood couldn't dream up shit like this.

"Why do you believe him?" She demanded when he was done.

"Cause I didn't smell a lie on him. Cause he's got no damned reason ta tell me any of this. Cause I reckon it makes sense, when ya think about how I lived after I got away from Stryker."

"What do mean by that?"

"Always movin around, never settlin in one place long enough ta call it home. Never getting ta know people, and never lettin any of em know me. Used ta figured that was because I didn't remember nuthin, or that I didn't wanna take a chance on lettin whoever screwed with me getting ta do it again. Was Dugan that set me straight darlin. Said that's the way I always lived."

"Not always," she countered fiercely. "You loved at least one woman, and she loved you back. You've lived a long time Logan. I'm sure there had to be others."

"Sounds like wishful thinkin ta me darlin," he muttered leaning forward, looking into her eyes. "When ya live that way for as long as I did, it's in yer bones."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I won't lie ta ya darlin, a big part of me still wants ta hit the road. But there's somethin here I can't ever remember having before, that's people I really feel somethin for. Marie, Jubes and the other kids are part o' that, and so are you."

"Me? What do you mean Logan?"

He had to quickly stifle a frustrated growl, because he could tell by her posture and the tone of her voice that she knew exactly what he meant, but she was going to make him say it. Hell, she'd probably figured out what he was here for the moment he'd stuck his head inside her door. The thing of it was, he wasn't much for words about stuff like this, and had no fucking idea what he should say. So he didn't talk at all. Instead he scooted forward, until he was on the edge of the couch. Then he slowly raised his right hand, reaching out until his fingers were sliding through the long, silky black hair at the back of her head. He took a long moments to stare into her wide eyes, and she blinked twice, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.

Logan wasn't sure which one of them moved first, only that he was kissing her long and deep, fighting the urge to curl his right hand into a fist. After a while he pulled back, chuckling quietly at the dazed expression on her face. After all, fighting wasn't the only thing he was good at, even if it was the only thing he would admit to. He knew his way around a woman's body, knew how to make them feel good, even if he had no idea exactly how to make them happy outside of a bedroom. That had always been enough for him before, and even if some of his past partners had expressed a desire for something else, he'd never been all that interested in giving it to them. Until now. He kissed her again, and Janet groaned softly into his mouth, then he trailed his lips along her jaw, and whispered the one truth her was certain of.

"I want you darlin," he murmured, and she stiffened for a moment, then her arms came up to his shoulders and she was kissing him again, and damn it was good, too good he thought, which caused him to do something her never remembered doing before. Pull back from a willing woman. Not that it would have come to that, not here. But it was too much, too soon.

"What's wrong?" She whispered, and he chuckled again.

"Not a damned thing darlin. Just not in any particular hurry right now."

"What…what are you talking about?"

"I want it ta mean somethin darlin. Wanna get ta know you better first."

"Logan…it's not like we were going to have sex on my couch."

"You sure about that?"

And she laughed at him, shaking her head. "Yes, I'm sure. It's too small for one thing. Besides, you're good, but not that good." Then her smile was gone, and she was looking at him with an intensity that made it hard for him to breath. "What do you want Logan?"

"Like I said darlin, I want you, but it's…damn, I ain't got the words."

"Please try," she demanded softly, taking his hand in both of hers, bending her head to kiss him right were his claws…shit, he had no control over the growl that rumbled from deep within his chest. He took a deep breath, and then another, inhaling her scent, letting it calm the fear he felt. Funny how the mind works (or in his case doesn't). The answer to his biggest worry over starting anything with Janet was the same thing he'd been obsessing over for the last few days. Mariko.

He'd kept telling himself that he didn't know anything about pleasing a woman long term, about how to even start a relationship with one that wasn't about anything other then sex. That he didn't know anything about love. It was the perfect excuse for steering clear of Janet, except that it wasn't true. He'd loved Mariko once, and he was pretty damned sure that she'd loved him back A small voice inside his head reminded him that things hadn't ended well there, but he ruthlessly pushed that down. He wanted this, wanted it so bad that it hurt, and once he wanted something, he didn't let anything stand in his way.

"I want ta do right by ya darlin, so that means I gotta take things slow. Want ta know everything I can about ya, and let you know what ever you want about me. Most of all, I want ta make you as happy as I can."

"Logan," she responded after a few seconds, her smile wide, "are you saying you want to date me?"

"Date?" He sputtered, looking like he'd just bitten into a lemon. "Who said anything about that, I just wanna do stuff with ya."

She let out a full throated laugh, squeezing his hand then letting go. "That's what people do when they're interested in each other Logan. Don't worry, you secret is safe with me."

"Don't want to keep it a secret darlin," he shot back, smirking at the flash of surprise on her face. "Hell I want everyone to know."

It was an almost perfect moment, with both of them smiling, even if Logan felt a little giddy, thinking on how lucky he was. No, not really giddy, he slowly perceived, more like on edge. What the hell? A low, roughened growl emanated form his chest, and he felt his hands clench into fists. It was that freaked out corner of his mind that Hank referred to as his instinctual self. Logan preferred to think of as the animal inside, and right now that creature was royally pissed off. Fuck no! He wasn't popping the claws inside Janet's office, no matter what his instincts were shouting about. He took a deep breath, and there was the rich, bitterly sweet smell of quality smokes. Cuban cigars he realized, and the scent was only growing stronger. He shook his head, because there was something else, too faint to identify over (no mixed with) the aroma of the tobacco. Get hold of yourself, idiot, he scolded inwardly, confused at why his feral self was screaming danger.

"What's wrong Logan?"

It was Janet's voice, and she sounded confused. Join the club he thought, jumping up from the couch. "Don't know," he prevaricated, rubbing the itching knuckles of his right hand. "Smell somethin…somethin that ain't right."

Something that was getting stronger by the moment, along with another personal scent that he was well familiar with. A muffled set of footsteps approaching, and a sharp rap on the door, and Kitty Pryde's voice calling out to him. Reaching out, he caught the door knob and jerked it open, and there she was, holding a box and looking at him through wide eyes.

"What do ya want?" He rumbled, his eyes fixed on the package in her hands.

"S…sorry," she stammered, gaze shifting from him to Phillips and back. "It's for you Mr. Logan."

She started to thrust the parcel toward him, but he was quicker, his hand closing around the package and ripping it away. It was about the size of a large book, wrapped in brown paper and addressed to him. Sent by a tobacco shop in New York. There were cigars inside all right, among the best he'd ever smelled, which should have made him grin. Except for one thing. Mixed in with that tobacco bouquet was something else, a stink that made his stomach churn and his knuckles itch. Mostly metallic it was, with a musty overtone, so faint that he hadn't really noticed it until the package was in his hands. He lowered his head until his nose was practically touching the container, just to be sure. Then he let out a string of curses that made Kitty blush.

"Mr. Logan!" Kitty squealed, shaking her head. "I don't think that's even possible."

"Logan, would you please stop growling and tell me what the hell is going on." Janet demanded, her voice steady.

Logan didn't say anything at first, just dropped the box, and took a few steps back, like it was on fire. Then, after several deep breaths he turned to look at Janet, his lips twisted into a grimace.

"Magneto."

**A/N: Surprise! I'm really going to finish this…Two more updates. Obviously that will leave a lot of dangling plot threads, so there will be a follow up. Please click the review button and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading.**


	38. Chapter 37

Picking Up The Pieces: Chapter 37

**A/N: A big thank you to everyone who is still reading this. Since a lot of this update deals with events from Chapter 23 of this story, you might want to check that out first.**

Memory. You couldn't taste it, touch it, or smell it. No one else could see your memories except you. Or Chuck. If you and another person experienced the same event, chances were pretty damned good that the memories formed would be different. Sometimes totally different. He half suspected that what passed for remembering for most people was just a lot of wishful thinking, or self justification. Considering what he had learned about his past so far, he wasn't sure he wanted to know anything more. From what he could tell from talking to Dugan, he'd lived a pretty fucked up life. The only thing that told him different was a fragment of recollection about a Japanese woman that he once loved, a woman that he'd dreamed of killing with his claws. He didn't want any more memories like that. Didn't want to waste any more years looking for something he'd never be able to find. Instead, he would make new memories at Xavier's that wouldn't wake him up screaming in the night, with claws out ready to kill. Which just went to show him how easy it was to fool yourself, because all that crap went out the window when he picked that damned cigar box off the floor and ripped it open. A small sheet of paper detached itself from the think bundle of documents stuffed into the bottom of the box and fluttered to the floor. Both he and Janet stared at it for several seconds before she picked it up and scanned the page. Then she quickly thrust the paper at him, like it was on fire.

"It's for you," she said in a flat voice, both eyebrows high on her forehead.

"Yeah," he muttered, taking the letter between his thumb and forefinger, like it was covered in shit. There were just a couple of lines of writing, a hasty scrawl that he had to squint to read.

_**My Dear Logan,**_

_**Here is the information I promised you. Feel free to share it with Henry. I would advise against showing it to Charles, but that is of course your affair.**_

_**Henry will no doubt do an excellent job of explaining what the humans took from you and how. **_

_**Eric Lenscherr**_

There was a phone number written on the bottom of the page. With a growl, Logan crushed the note into a tiny ball and shoved it into his pocket. Then he hurled the stogies into the trash (they stank of the old bastard's putrid smell), and turned his attention to the thick sheaf of papers. There was a bold black title at the top of the first page: The Effect Of Adamantium On The Neuroanatomy of Memory.

"Fuck," he muttered, showing the paper to Janet.

"Let's take it to Hank," she suggested, and they did.

They found him out on the patio, dressed in cargo shorts and a tank top, reading the latest issue of the Genetic Journal. On a table by his side was a huge mug of coffee and the remains of the fried egg sandwich he had just consumed. Logan stalked up to him and pushed the box under his chin.

Hank looked up and briefly bare his fangs. Or maybe it was just a smile. With him it wasn't always easy to tell. "Your rudeness is not appreciated, most particularly at this hour of…"

At that point, Hank's nose twitched, and his lips curled back into a fearsome grimace, showing not only those long, sharp fangs, but also his pointed front teeth as well. The fur on the back of his neck and along his massive shoulders stood straight up, almost like it had been zapped with a charge of static electricity. Slowly he rose from the deck chair, a low, grating whine emanating from deep in his throat, that was abruptly interrupted by a loud crack from the wooden arm of the chair, as it snapped from the inexorable power of Hank's massive right hand.

"Where…is…he?" This fearsome blue stranger demanded, stretching out to his full height.

"Get a grip McCoy," Logan barked, stepping in front of Janet. "He ain't here. He sent me this."

"Why is Eric sending you packages?" Hank retorted, in a voice that was slightly less alarming.

"Not here. Your office."

Then with a slow deliberate motion, Logan turned and walked away. For several seconds Hank just stood there staring at the other man's back, his huge paws curled into fists, pointed blue ears flattened against the side of his head. His massive body shuddered and he began to shake, almost like a huge blue dog shedding excess water. When he finally went still again Janet could see Hank she knew in his eyes and posture. He looked down at her with a sheepish expression on his face, and flashed her a smile, this time absent the fangs.

"Forgive the rude display my dear," he murmured, bowing his head. "Shall we adjourn to my humble cubicle?"

They caught up to Logan just as the elevator door opened. He looked at McCoy and gave a tiny nod before they entered. The trip down was silent, with Logan clutching the small box, and Hank eyeing him suspiciously, while Janet tried to ignore the feeling of dread that was growing within. The office door had barely shut when Logan dropped the container of papers on the desk and turned to face his friend.

"I need ya ta tell me what that shit means McCoy."

"First, I want an answer to my question if you please. Why would Eric send you this?"

Logan nodded, and explained how Magneto had contacted him by cell phone when he and Scott were investigating what appeared to be a safe house for Lenscherr's followers in upstate New York. The old man had promised to send Logan information on how Stryker had robbed him of his memory. After Logan was finished Hank eased himself into his chair and started to pick through the box, extracting the papers which had the appearance of computer printouts. When he saw the heading emblazoned on the top of the first page he groaned softly. Then he looked up at Logan and took a deep breath.

"I will call you when I am prepared to discuss this."

"Damn it Hank…"

"I am sorry," Hank interrupted, raising a hand palm out, "but I will need several hours to digest the information contained in these documents, which I cannot properly do with you hovering about."

They stared at each other for several seconds. Then Logan nodded. "Call me when yer ready. And Hank, don't tell no one about this. That includes Chuck." Then he took Janet's hand and they were gone.

It was nearly four hours later that Hank sent him a text message to come down. Like most of the shitty stuff in his life, it all boiled down to memory. In order to make Logan what Stryker wanted him to be, they had to find a way to make him forget who he was. At least that was Hank's interpretation of what he'd read, and Logan trusted his judgment, even if Big Blue was more then half in the bag by the time he'd summoned Logan down to have their chat. The half empty bottle of booze on McCoy's desk wasn't a good sign, but it was the stink of pure rage emanating from the normally controlled scientist that really put Logan on edge.

Despite his condition, Hank's voice was clear and direct, even if he wouldn't look Logan in the eye. It was all so very dry and factual, a treatise of monstrous cruelty perpetrated in the service of perverted science. Stryker wanted a compliant weapon, someone who would kill without question. Since Logan was unwilling to murder at Stryker's command, various methods were used to bring about the thought reform that would allow them to create a new persona inside Logan's mind. Some of these methods were alluded to in the documents; including the use of powerful hallucinogenic drugs and a telepath in order to wipe his real memories so that false ones could be inserted, as well behavioral modification through torture and sensory deprivation. This last method succeeded after a fashion, in that Logan was driven to temporary madness due to of the lack of input from his hyper keen senses. At that point Hank stopped talking and reached for the bottle, but Logan was quicker, snatching the cognac away and setting it down on the floor by his chair.

"You ain't gonna get the rest of it out if you keep hittin on this stuff Blue," Logan said, in a tone of voice that startled the other man because it conveyed no feeling at all.

"Well yes…that would certainly not be a propitious result," Hank mumbled, looking down at his enormous hands.

"This ain't your fault McCoy."

"Quite true. And yet, these men called themselves scientists, as do I. So there is an unavoidable feeling of shame that they have corrupted the avocation we share in such a vile manner."

"Come on McCoy, those fuckers ain't you."

"I know that well my friend. And yet I cannot help but feel a certain guilt for what was done to you."

"Damn it Hank, just get on with it will ya."

The basic failure of the Weapon X program was clear to Hank. They really never understood the fundamental part of Logan's mutation. Faced with their terrible abuse, Logan's mind would shut down, which was the very thing they desired. However, this did not leave them with free reign to impose their twisted set of values, because something else would come to the fore of his personality, something they were not prepared to deal with; the animal. Faced with the horrible abuse, Logan's alter ego would shrink back into a sullen compliance, while waiting for the opportunity to strike back. An animal may bare it's throat to prove submission, but if the only response to that is more abuse, then as with any wild creature it will lash out. After several violent altercations it became clear that no matter the methods used, the animal would not be domesticated. There was another pause in narrative, with Hank extending one of his furry paws. This time Logan handed him the bottle so his friend could pour another drink. When McCoy offered it back he shook his head, but reclaimed the bottle. After knocking back the fiery liquid in one huge gulp, Hank settled back in his chair and explained how they had stolen Logan's memories.

Six hours later he was sitting with his back to an old oak tree on the shore of the small lake near the southern limit of Xavier's estate, trying to get his head around what McCoy had told him. With a muttered curse, he flicked the butt of a cigar into the lake and pulled another one out of his pocket, along with the picture of the man who had destroyed his memory. Doctor Abraham Cornelius, the scientist who invented the only known method of shaping adamantium, molding it to the bones of the one man who could heal from anything. In the light of his flaring match, Logan studied the face of the person who had tried to turn him into a monster.

The guy looked completely ordinary, with a receding hairline and a pair of thick, coke bottle lenses. The only thing about him that stood out were his eyes. Those orbs looked almost familiar, like something he might have dreamed about, but couldn't quite be sure. They were eyes that you wouldn't forget, looking out from the photo like a bug collector viewing one of his prized beetles. Carefully, he placed the picture back in his coat pocket. He only remembered fragments of how he's escaped from Alkali Lake. Just little snapshots in his head really, mostly of the claws ripping through whoever got in his way. Logan didn't think one of those pictures featured Cornelius. He was going to have to find out about that. Because if the fucker was still alive, it was something he wanted to fix.

He'd almost decided to head off deeper into the forest when he heard the sound of dead leaves crunching softly coming from back down the trail. He couldn't smell who because of the breeze blowing in his face, but he really didn't need to. The softness of the footfalls told him it was a woman, so it was either Marie or Janet. And he was pretty sure it wasn't Marie. So he waited, puffing away on the cigar and thinking about what he wanted to say.

"Over here darlin," he called out when he judged she was by the spot where the path branched off toward his little hideaway.

"Logan," she responded, in a tentative voice, clearly not too confident of the reception she was going to get. He really didn't blame her, considering the dozen trees he'd cut in half at the head of the trail.

"Come on down kid. Just watch yer step."

The beam of a flash light stabbed briefly through the darkness and he heard her push some branches aside. About a minute later she stepped into the small clearing. For a moment Logan was tempted to pat the ground with his right hand, and invite her to sit by his side. But there was a lot of stuff he needed to say, and wrapping an arm around her would only make it harder. So he pointed to the a tree about six feet a way and invited her to pull up a seat. He could see the frown on her face, even in the dim light, but she sat without complaint. He took a deep drag from the cigar and crushed out against the ground. Then he leaned back against the solid trunk of the tree, breathing through his nose. Damn she smelled good.

"What do ya want ta know darlin?" He rumbled, his eyes still closed.

"That's not why I'm here Logan. You don't have to tell me anything."

Right after Hank had chased them out of his office, she'd told him straight out that he didn't have to tell her a thing that he wasn't comfortable with it. Fuck he thought, he wasn't even comfortable thinking about the shit McCoy had just told him, much less trying to actually talk about it. Which was exactly why he had to. Hell, she knew about most everything else that Stryker had done to him, so why not this? Maybe it wouldscare her away. Maybe that's what he really wanted. Logan really didn't understand why he wanted her to know, he just knew that he did.

"It was the fucking adamantium," he finally said, opening his eyes and looking into hers. "That's what they used ta make me forget."

"The metal that covers your bones?"

"Yeah. It's why my claws can cut through anything. It's why my bones can't be broken. And according to those papers Lenscherr sent, it's why I can't remember about before they fucked me up."

Janet took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Just tell me what you want me to know Logan."

So he did, repeating what Hank had told him more or less, even if most of the words were his. According to the papers Mags had sent, it was an accident that Cornelius even discovered it. They'd pumped some adamantium powder into his blood, just to find out whether his healing factor would handle it. Most of the effects were pretty much expected; massive internal bleeding, along with convulsions and a period of prolonged coma. None of this came as a surprise to Cornelius, since he had tested the effects of the metal on other subjects, who had exhibited similar effects. There was of course one important difference; they died, while Logan eventually got better. Gradually the worst of the symptoms abated as his healing factor adjusted to the lethal substance. But there was one anomaly, one surprising condition that only Logan had lived long enough to manifest. When they injected him with that shit he got amnesia. Sometimes it was only a matter of losing a few days worth of memories, but there were times that he couldn't even remember how to use a toilet properly. Eventually his body became immune to the devastating effects of adamantium poisoning, but not his brain. The memory loss persisted with each exposure to the toxin.

What would they do once adamantium was grafted to his bones? Logan wouldn't be much use to them as a weapon if he couldn't even remember how to drive a car or shoot a gun, much less the orders they'd given him five hours ago. It was Cornelius who saw the opportunity. He'd always been contemptuous of the notion that they could alter Logan's personality on anything more the a limited basis. What he wanted was a clean sweep, a tabula rasa that would permit them to rewrite his memories, creating the kind of man who would kill without question or mercy. Now he had the means to remove the one thing that kept Logan from becoming what they wanted him to be; the knowledge of what kind of man he was. Cornelius had no doubt he would find a way to do this. After all, experimentation was his specialty.

"God!" Janet burst out, shuddering at the images Logan's has remark brought to mind. There seemed to be no end to the suffering that had been inflicted on him.

"He's got nuthin ta do with it," Logan responded. He stood up and walked past her to the edge of the lake, She let him stand there for a while, then went to join him.

"Logan, you don't have to say anything else tonight," she said, finally breaking the long silence.

"Ain't much else ta say darlin," he answered, his eyes still fixed on the still water of the pond. "McCoy pretty much figures those fuckers found a way ta use the metal ta flush out my mind. Then they were gonna use the telepath ta plant new memories, the kind o' things that could make me what they wanted."

At that moment the moon started to peak out from behind the clouds. It was only a narrow shaft of light, but for the first time she could clearly see his face. It was like stone, his eyes glistening in the sudden pale gleam that reflected off the mirror still surface of the lake. When Janet noticed him slowly messaging the knuckles of his right hand, she impulsively reached out, enclosing it with both of her own.

"Careful darlin," he warned softly, but she felt him relax a little from the feeling of her hands gripping his, so she firmly tugged it up to her lips and kissed the soft patch of skin between his knuckles. He looked down on her and smiled, then gently pulled his hand away, and turned his face up toward the moon.

"The thing of it was, that when they wiped my memories, there wasn't nuthin left ta keep the animal in check. Once that happened, once I wasn't human no more, there wasn't anything those fuckers could do ta stop me. Least ways not with the new enhancements they made. That's how McCoy thinks in went down."

"Are you saying that you escaped because of what they did to you?"

"Yeah. When ya think of it, it's a pretty fair trade off. Cause I can't think of anything worse then being controlled by Stryker." Logan flicked another cigar butt into the lake and ran a hand through his tangled hair. "Anyways, now I know what happened, even if I don't see that it does me much good."

"We don't know that yet, do we? Maybe Hank can figure something out."

"I'm just tellin ya the way it is kid. As long as I got this shit inside, it's gonna stop me from remembering what I was. And even Hank can't get the metal outta my body."

"So you're just going to give up on this?"

"It ain't about givin up," he growled softly, still looking at the moon. "It's about facing facts. Been lookin for my past ever since I can remember. It's time ta try somethin else for a while."

"That's bullshit Logan. You don't face facts, or you would have given up on this a long time ago. What aren't you telling…"

He pulled her into his arms before she could finish, and kissed her with a slow intensity that made Janet shiver. When he pulled back to look at her face, she thought she could almost feel the ferocity of his gaze. For a moment it wasn't about his memory, or the horrors that he had endured, or any of the other issues he was fighting. Right now, it was only about her. He gently pulled her into his embrace, so the top of her head was just under his chin. Then she felt the side of his face nuzzling against her hair and the deep rumble bubbling up from within him. They stood like that, arms around each other for a long time, until Logan finally let go of her and took a step back.

"Hey…" she stammered softly, feeling a little light headed at the sudden turn of events, "that's a pretty good argument for getting me to shut up. But I'm never going to believe that you'd give up on something you really wanted. What's going on Logan?"

"It's getting late kid. Why don't you head back."

"Damn it, I want to know why you're doing this."

"Gonna stay out here for a while," he went on, turning away from her. "Maybe take a little ramble through Chuck's property."

"Why won't you talk to me Logan?"

"Ain't that what I've been doin since you got here?" He barked, turning around to face her. "Said all I got to say about it. Now why don't you do both of us a favor and head back."

"Maybe you shouldn't have told me anything," she snapped back, angry and hurt at his dismissal. "That would have been better then this."

"What the hell are you talkin about?"

"Why are you telling me you can't remember when we both know that's not true. I was there in Hank's office when it happened. So why are you trying to tell me that you can't do something, when we both know you already have."

"Cause maybe I don't wanna screw with what I got now," he responded harshly. "Been tryin to figure out who I was for a long time. Way I see things, it was just a fucking waste o' time. Well I ain't gonna waste any more."

"What are you afraid of Logan?"

For a moment, an expression of rage flashed across his face, and Janet had to force herself not to take a step back. Then his shoulders sagged and he turned away, moving toward the trees. "Used ta think I'd do anything it took ta get my memory back," he declared, in a toneless voice. "Found out I was wrong." Then he stepped into the thick forest and was gone.

"Logan!" She called out, as angry at herself as she was at him. For a moment she considered following him, but realized it wouldn't do much good. She'd only end up getting lost in the darkness. With a sigh she headed back to the mansion, carefully picking her way along the dark narrow path.

When she started out to find him, Janet had been determined to respect whatever boundaries that he decided on. She'd expected a sullen unwillingness to share anything and had told herself that it was something she'd just have to except, at least for now. Instead he'd surprised her, relating the whole awful story of what those sadists had done to him, and then declaring that the process was irrevocable, that it would never be possible to recover what he'd lost. Why would he say something like that when he knew it wasn't true? Even worse, why was he alright with it? It didn't make sense. Janet was certain that Logan had left something out, something that explained his sudden decision to give up on his past. She was half way back to the mansion before she realized what it was. Even if Hank couldn't do anything about the adamantium, there was someone who could. This wasn't really about the metal at all. It was about the man who could take it away.

The med lab was dark and deserted, with only a single florescent fixture to provide illumination. The door to Hank's office was shut, but when she approached it slid opened. In the dim light she saw Hank slumped over his desk, cradling what looked like a bottle in his huge right hand. For a moment she debated leaving this for tomorrow, then she called out to him in a firm voice. His right ear twitched, but otherwise there was no reaction. She spoke again and one of his eyes opened. With a soft groan he slowly shifted into a sitting position.

"Janet?" He muttered, in a scratchy voice, sliding the bottle away. "What…what can I do for you?"

"Why Hank? Why did Magneto send those papers to Logan? Why is he doing this?"

"Please sit down my dear."

After she sat in the chair by his desk, he turned on his computer monitor for a little light, and then ran both his massive paws over the fur of his face, smoothing the matted coat back into place. "I will made the assumption that you have already had a discussion with Logan concerning the information Eric provided."

"Yes," she answered, taking a deep breath, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears that suddenly threatened to spill out of her eyes. Why was she crying now?

Hank picked up a box of tissues and offered it to her. Then he sat back into his chair and shrugged his massive shoulders. "Then I will give you the same answer that I gave Logan when he made a similar inquiry, of course peppered with many colorful expletives. While there was a time when I could have speculated over Eric's motivations, that is long in the past. I truly do not know why he is doing this, although certain reasons naturally present themselves."

"Wait a minute. Are you saying you know him?"

"The past tense would be more appropriate, but to answer your question, yes I did. When I first arrived at this school he was Co-Headmaster, along with Charles."

"What?"

"They founded this facility together. As I am sure you can surmise, there was eventually a falling out. However, I found Eric to be a congenial mentor. He was a great help in my quest to control the anger that manifested on account of my feral mutation.

"Magneto taught anger management. You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all. He was very good at it, though not obviously as proficient at internalizing the techniques that he related to me." Hank paused at this point, leaning forward and clasping his hands together in on the desk. "The Eric I knew was a good man who gradually allowed his anger to consume him."

"But he probably isn't offering this information out of a desire to simply help Logan."

"I would say not. Of course there is an implied offer of assistance, otherwise providing this information to Logan would make no sense."

"Implied? What do you mean?"

"Did Logan explain to you the role adamantium supposedly plays in his condition?"

"He said that it caused his memory loss. Is that true?"

Hank took a sheaf of paper from a pile of files on his desk. "According to the documents Eric has provided, one of the unique characteristics of adamantium is that it acts upon the specialized neurons of the hippocampus, which is the seat of human memory."

"Damn it Hank, Logan told me his memory was gone."

"Not gone my dear. Rather, it is inaccessible. The adamantium prevents those neurons which contain what we refer to as memory from firing. This in turn, obstructs this information from being transmitted to his consciousness."

"I'm sorry Hank, but I just can't accept that," she hissed, shaking her head. "If that's true, how can he function? How can he remember anything at all, much less things that happened before he was changed?"

"I assume that you refer to the anomalous event that Logan experienced in the med lab?"

"That's part of it. There's also that fact that right now his memory is fine. How can he remember what he ate yesterday, much less his life over the last seventeen years if adamantium effects him like you say it does?"

"Because even after undergoing the bonding process, the amount of the metal in his bloodstream would not be sufficient to inhibit the process of memory. In order for that to occur, it was necessary to concentrate it in such a manner that it would disrupt those areas of memory that they wished to separate him from."

"I don't…" she started then stopped, not certain if she really wanted to know. "How did they do that?" She asked after several seconds.

"As to the exact technique used, I cannot say. That information was not included in the materials that Eric furnished." At this point Hank paused for a moment, and shuffled some of the papers around on his desk. "However," he went on in a rough voice, "my conjecture is that they identified specific memory clusters they wished to eliminate. Most likely this was accomplished as any scientist would, that is to say through experimentation."

"Oh my God."

Hank nodded and cleared this throat. "Once these locations were known, adamantium was most likely introduced directly, possibly in the form of a stent or shaped into monofilament spikes."

At this point he stopped talking, because he no longer had an audience. Janet was hunched over and shaking from the force of her emotions, one hand pressed tightly across her stomach, weeping almost silently. McCoy wasn't surprised, as he had shed tears himself after Logan had left several hours ago. Then he had gotten drunk, appalled for his friend and at the evil that had been perpetrated on him. Rising from his chair, Hank went out into the med lab and retrieved a glass of water for Janet, as well as another bottle for himself. Back in his office, he gently rubbed her back until she regained some measure of composure, and then poured himself a generous helping of brandy. She gulped down the water and then sat silently while he resumed his seat.

"Sorry," she muttered after wiping her face with the tissues he had given her.

"There is no need for apology Janet. Your reaction is quite understandable."

"Hank…isn't there anything you can do for him?" She pleaded in a rough voice.

"At this moment I simply cannot say," he responded, in a sad voice. "However, the prospects do not appear to be bright. I have studied what little information there is on adamantium since my arrival here. Once the metal has set there is no known way to alter it's shape or fracture it. Because Logan's cranium has been coated with the infernal substance, I cannot even scan his brain to ascertain what has been done to it. As a scientist, I recognize that there are always unexpected possibilities, but I cannot in good conscious offer you much hope."

"Damn it Hank, if you can't help him then who can?"

"You asked me earlier what Eric might hope to gain by providing this information. There is one purpose that comes to mind by the very nature of the material, which points to the conclusion that only Eric, or more properly Eric's power, would be sufficient to restore Logan's memory."

"Hank, how do we know Lenscherr is even telling the truth? You just said there's no way you can confirm it. Besides, we both know that Logan has remembered things from his past. How is that even possible when that poison is still in his body? It doesn't make any sense."

"Actually it does. Are you familiar with the events that transpired on Liberty Island?"

"Charles told me a little bit about it. He said Marie was almost killed there, but he didn't give me any details, and she won't talk about it."

"You should keep trying to discuss it with her. I am privy to the details of what happened as her primary physician, and I believe she is still adversely effected by those events. It is also the root of Logan's hatred of Eric."

"Ok, I will. Thanks for the heads up. But I don't see what that has to do with what we're talking about."

"Neither did I, until I had the opportunity to examine the materials that Eric furnished. If you recall, when our friend Logan fled this office only a few days ago, we speculated on the possible cause of the abrupt appearance of his ability to recall anything from his past. I stated that if we could discover the agency of our friend's new found ability to remember, then perhaps this would allow us to understand how his memories were taken from him. I believe that I now know what that agency is."

"And you think that has something do with Liberty Island?" She shot back in a sharp voice.

Hank pulled a folder from the bottom of the largest stack of papers on his desk. It had a dark blue cover, with a white, circled X on the front. "This is Scott's report of the team's confrontation with Magneto on Liberty Island. While I was reviewing the materials that Eric provided, it was this report that immediately came to mind. On two occasions Logan was subjected to Eric's gift. Powerful magnetic lines of force were applied to the metal within his body to hold him in place. Several weeks later, our friend began to have nightmares that were actually memories of what was done to him by William Stryker. He as since regained the use of certain skills that he had learned in his former life, as well experiencing fragments of memory from his lost past."

"What are you saying Hank?"

"That this was no coincidence. The magnetism that flows from Eric did something to disrupt whatever measures were used to sever Logan from his past. The very fact that it was Eric's power strongly suggests that adamantium was involved in that process. This is why I believe that Eric's gift is the only possible means at hand that will restore our friend's memory. Because in fact it has already done so."

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